Justice Legion: Heroic Age
by Phant0mZ0ne
Summary: A new age has begun. The age of the superhero is here. Witness the birth and legend of a team of superheroes- The Justice Legion!
1. Origins I

_Gotham City, New Jersey_

_Eight years ago_

Batman grunted as he leapt over the gap between the apartment buildings.

Cape billowing behind him, the Dark Knight ran, chasing the hooded figure in front of him. He could hear the police helicopters drawing closer and closer. The voices of the officers barked over his comms.

"_We got Batman in our sights."_

"_What's he doing?"_

"_Chasing something."_

"_What? Man, woman? Child?"_

"_I can't tell. Its face is covered."_

"_Is it one of those things?"_

"_From the way it's leaping? Yeah, I'd say so."_

"_Then bring them both down."_

Batman turned just in time to see the helicopters fire their guns at him. Acting quickly, he leaped into a roll, throwing several smoke grenades at their vicinity.

"Idiots," he muttered, leaping onto another building. The creature he was chasing finally turned around, and Batman could see its facial features more closely: a green craggly face, and… goggles?

Batman aimed his grapnel gun and fired, the steel hook tearing through the creature's leg and snagging upon its flesh. With a roar, the creature leapt. Seizing the opportunity, he pulled on the wire, colliding with the creature and tumbling onto a rooftop.

Grabbing the creature by the rags it wore, Batman growled, "What were you doing at the docks?! Talk, before I-"

A flash of light, a wave of heat and Batman was thrown backwards. The Caped Crusader got up, only to meet the heavy fist of the creature. He fell backward once more and grimaced when he saw a bright green light.

"What-"

A green firetruck slammed into the creature, sending it skidding a few meters away.

"Batman-?"

The Dark Knight grit his teeth as he looked at the man who had called his name. A man in a black and green costume… wielding a glowing ring.

"You're _real?_" the man said, his voice dripping with shock and surprise.

"And you're too damn bright," Batman replied, shielding his eyes from the intense light. "Turn that down before they see us."

"Before _who _sees us?" The green-costumed man replied.

"**PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!" **The buzzing noise of police helicopters grew louder and louder.

Acting quickly, the ring man summoned green armored men, holding ghostly green shields. "Put my hands up?" he repeated mockingly. "So what, they can shoot me?"

"Welcome to Gotham, Green Lantern." Batman watched as round after round pinged harmlessly off of the men's shields.

Green Lantern turned to him. "They're wasting their bullets. This force field can stand up to pretty much anything."

"I've read about your conflicts with the Air Force, so I know you know the drill."

"They don't like us." Green Lantern summarized.

"The world's afraid of us," Batman retorted.

Green Lantern looked at him in confusion. "You say that like it's a good thing."

"It's necessary-" Batman began. A whine-like roar behind the two drew their attention, and they saw that the creature had gotten back up. With the hood and rags gone, its green skin and strange armor were more visible. On its back were a set of golden wings. The creature opened its mouth, and with a terrible scream, fired some sort of orange beam of flame… hitting the two choppers above them.

"Move." Batman grunted, only to be tapped on the shoulder by Green Lantern. "Relax, I've got this." With a clench of his fist, the ring glowed once more, and green glowing bats swooped into to deposit the flaming helicopters down safely.

The creature smashed onto the streets below, screeching again before transforming into some sort of spider-like form. It scurried away.

"The hell is that? A _Transformer_? It just changed into some kinda dog," Green Lantern muttered in disbelief.

"Take your flashlight and go home," Batman replied, firing his grapnel gun again. "Gotham's mine. Coast City's yours."

"No. This entire space sector is mine."

"Space sector?" Batman used the rope to swing himself off the building and towards the creature's trail. Green Lantern flew besides him.

"It's my beat. Y'know, I'm not the only Green Lantern out there. There are thousands patrolling the universe. An entire corps-"

"Uh-huh." Batman cut him off, swooping to a discarded manhole cover.

"I'm serious. I was alerted to an unauthorized extraterrestrial presence in Gotham." Green Lantern landed next to him, watching as Batman peered down into the sewers.

"'Extra-terrestrial'? Witnesses spotted this thing trying to plant some sort of bomb downtown," Batman inspected the damage that the creature caused, picking up a small piece of metal that had broken off of the creature's armor. "When the cops confronted it, it spew fire from its mouth."

"Yeah, don't worry about that. I've got it under control." with a flash from the ring, green firemen wielding green hoses began dousing the surrounding fires.

"Remember, Batman: Green Lantern can handle anything," he said smugly, following the Dark Knight as he lowered himself down into the sewers. "And what are your powers, anyway? You can't fly."

"No." Batman landed on the ground below and began walking down the dark path, the glow from Green Lantern's ring providing some small amount of light. The sewage water flowed silently, the only noise coming from the faint hum of the ring and the two men talking.

"Super strength?"

"No." Batman rounded a corner. He was getting closer, he could feel it.

"Hold on a second…" a look of utter disbelief crossed Green Lantern's face once more. "Don't tell me you're just some dude in a freaking bat-costume?!"

"What's this do?" Batman replied, holding up Green Lantern's ring.

"Wh- how the hell did you get it off?" GL sputtered. His black-and-green costume began to fade, showing an ordinary man wearing a simple white shirt and beige pants.

Batman turned the ring over, examining every tiny detail. "I don't see any buttons on it, so I'm guessing it works on concentration," he paused and smirked at Green Lantern. "You weren't concentrating."

The ring flew from his hand and back onto its master's fingers. "You won't do that again," Green Lantern snapped, a scowl crossing his features.

"Not unless I want to."

"You really wanna challenge a guy who can create literally anything he thinks of?" Green Lantern asked, stepping closer to Batman.

"I'd be worried if I thought you could think," the Dark Knight retorted.

Green Lantern had had enough, and he clenched his fist in annoyance. "Alright then wise guy, you're about see what's exactly on my mind-"

Batman grabbed the ring-wearing hero and shoved him onto a nearby wall.

GL looked at him in anger once more. "What? What are you-?"

Batman raised a finger to his lips and motioned with his other hand. Green Lantern turned and nearly gasped. The creature from before was attaching some sort of box to the sewer wall.

"Look, uh, I'm sorry," Green Lantern whispered. "I thought you were looking for a-"

"Forget it," Batman whispered back.

"What the hell's it doing?"

"Fusing something to the wall."

At that moment, the box suddenly let off a "ping" noise, and waves of bright light began to emit from the box.

Green Lantern leapt from his spot, ring glowing once more. "Did you hear that? If that's a bomb, then he just armed it!"

"Lantern, wait-!"

The creature turned, just before Green Lantern could touch it. It opened its mouth and screamed.

"FOR DARKSEID!"

With a thunderous boom and a wave of flame, the creature exploded.

* * *

_New York City_

"So JARVIS, what exactly are we looking at?"

Iron Man flew across Midtown, tracking the strange creature that had appeared earlier that evening. Reports of a large, green creature dashing down the street had caught his attention. Supposedly, the creature had been trying to plant some sort of box in the basement of a law office. Its efforts were discovered by a duo of lawyers on their way to closing up. Upon discovery, the creature had ran out into the street and began making its way towards… somewhere. Witnesses mentioned it having craggy, green skin."

"_I am unable to identify what exactly it is, sir."_

"Hmm. Well, maybe it's a _Ninja Turtle_," Tony Stark joked.

When he heard the news, Tony was supposed to be meeting with the CEO of Lexcorp, Mr. Lex Luthor himself, to talk about a weapons project. Quickly thinking, Tony had managed to postpone the meeting for another day, citing that he was currently busy with "personal matters". Lex certainly wasn't amused.

Tony had quickly gotten to his Iron Man armor- the Mark IV to be exact. An improvement over his previous armor, in both weapons, performance and durability.

The creature suddenly leapt up onto a nearby rooftop, before jumping towards a bank near the corner of 38th Street. Tony quickly maneuvered himself down to the bank, landing as the creature smashed through the glass window and scurried inside.

Tony stepped into the dark building, allowing his suit to light the way.

"JARVIS, you see anything?" he asked, looking around. Nothing but

"_I am detecting a heat signature below us, near the bank's vault."_

Iron Man descended down the stairs in the back of the bank, seeing the creature planting some sort of box on a support pillar.

_What is it doing? _He thought. The creature continued to fiddle with the box, until it made a distinct "ping" noise.

"JARVIS, what is that thing it's planting?" he muttered, shifting his weight.

"_I am unable to identify it, sir."_

_JARVIS can't identify the big guy or the box?_ He thought. He didn't know what that box was, but either way he had to act quickly. He leapt into from the shadows and aimed his hand-repulsors at the creature.

"Alright, hands up in the air, Leonardo!" he cried. "Step away from the box and-"

The creature whirled around and fired… a stream of fire?

The flame washed over Tony's suit, leaving him harmless. "Nice try, E.T, but your fire's nothing- OOF!"

The creature slammed into Tony, knocking him into the ground. It roared in his face once more, and that roar gradually transitioned into a single screech as the creature began to glow brighter and brighter.

"FOR DARKSEID!"

Tony's eyes widened as the creature exploded, sending him flying across the room.

* * *

"Dark Side? What is that? A band?"

Green Lantern stepped out of the vault that he had hastily constructed before the creature exploded. Batman stepped out as well, sniffing the air.

"It sounded like a death cry," he said, walking over to the box on the wall, seemingly unharmed.

"It combusted into fire."

"But it did it on purpose."

Green Lantern looked at him. "How do you know that?"

"It was trying to incinerate us with it," he replied, kneeling next to the box. He ran a hand over the warm metal. "Whatever that thing came to do, it did it." he pointed to the box. "It planted this."

Green Lantern knelt next to him. "Ring: scan and identify." Immediately, a bunch of green constructs resembling various scientific equipment sprang forth, analyzing every nook and cranny of the small cube.

"_Unable to identify," _the ring chirped back. Green Lantern recoiled in surprise. "The ring can't identify it?! That's impossible." Batman ripped the box from the wall. "This ring knows what the Guardians know- and the Guardians know everything!" he frowned. "Except how to tell a joke," he added quietly.

"It doesn't look like a bomb," Batman mused, turning it over in his hands as it "pinged" again. "It may be an alien computer."

"Alien? Maybe it's connected to that flying guy in Metropolis," Green Lantern replied, rubbing his chin.

"Superman?"

"They say he's an alien," Green Lantern added.

"He is. And he's dangerous," Batman got up and turned to look at Lantern.

"You've met SUPERMAN?" Lantern asked incredulously. Batman's eyes narrowed.

"No, but I've researched him. His power levels-"

"-Won't be a problem for me," Green Lantern said, smirking. His ring began to glow again. Already, a new construct was beginning to take shape.

"Hey-!" Batman protested, but Green Lantern cut him off.

"Relax Batman. You can fill me in on the way to Metropolis."

* * *

Tony groaned, his eyes opening. He was pinned down. As he struggled to get his bearings, his memory of what had happened suddenly came back.

"JARVIS?" he muttered, straining to push off the debris covering his body. The explosion had left some scorch marks on his armor, but otherwise it was completely functional. "What the hell happened?"

"_The creature self-combusted, sir," _the silky smooth voice of JARVIS replied. "_It's explosion nearly levelled this building." _

"What happened to the box?" he asked, but that question was answered by the box laying a few feet away from him. He picked it up, turning it over. Upon closer inspection, it had a maroon red color, with several small orbs around the borders and a large, dull yellow orb in the center. He clenched the box in his hand tightly.

"Well, JARVIS," he said thrusting upwards out of the rubble and into the evening air. "If you don't know what this is, we just need to find someone who can-"

"FREEZE!"

A bunch of NYPD cruisers waited in front of the bank, several officers aiming their handguns at Iron Man.

"Relax officers, I'll be on my way. The creature that was in the city earlier is gone." And with that, Iron Man boosted into the sky, leaving the officers to handle the damage.

_I think I know someone who can help me, _Tony thought, flying off towards Calcutta.

* * *

_Metropolis, New York_

Batman rolled onto the dirt as Green Lantern floated down beside him. "You flew us to Metropolis on a _glowing _green jet?"

Green Lantern looked at him. "You can't fly. How else were we supposed to get here? Talk in a deep voice?"

Batman grunted and looked around. The city was comparable to New York City: a city that never slept. Indeed, he could hear the faint whine of police cars and the rumble of a train in the distance. The sign in front of the building indicated that they were in a demolition zone. The giant hole in the building suggested that someone had already started the demolition.

"We should've gone with subtlety, Lantern." Batman looked around, wary of anything that could come upon the duo. "You might as well as painted a giant green target on us."

Lantern waved his hand. "Relax, this'll be over before you know it. My ring led us right to the alien. Like I said, it's basically a GPS for the extraterrestrial." He paused right outside the giant gaping hole. "Superman's in there."

"Lantern! It looks like he's been in some sort of fight. You should-" Batman began, but was cut off when Lantern began to form a green box around him.

"Look, this is what's going to happen: Green Lantern is going to go in there, kick Superman's ass, and bring him out here for questioning. _Batman _is going to stay outside here and wait." he turned around and smirked again.

"I can handle this."

Not a moment too soon, a red-and-blue blur slammed into Green Lantern, sending him soaring into the distance. The blur also smashed Batman out of his green cage, sending him tumbling a bit. The Dark Knight stumbled back up and grimaced.

"I don't handle easy," a bold, strong voice proclaimed.

Batman stared at the figure in front of him. A blue outfit. Red cape. Red trunks. Gold belt. A red-and-yellow "S" in the middle of his chest.

Superman.

"So," Superman said, frowning down at Batman, "What can you do?"

**And, done! I've been meaning to get back into writing stories, but life and other personal matters have gotten in the way. I needed a spark to start writing again, and I got it. Hopefully I can keep it for a bit.**

**That being said, this story is inspired by SuperJimmy978's "Age of Wonders" DC/Marvel crossover. Go check it out, I highly recommend it. He manages to blend both worlds very nicely. **

**These next couple of chapters will be primarily inspired by DC's New 52 Justice League "Origin" story arc, with a bit of a Marvel twist. After that, I'll try to incorporate some original story arcs.**

**Constructive criticism is welcome. **

**Next time, Superman battles Batman and GL! Iron Man meets with a certain scientist! The Flash zooms towards Metropolis! And something makes its way to Earth...**

**Until next time!**


	2. Origins II

_Central City, Missouri_

_At a crime lab…_

"I'm right in the middle of processing this case!" The blonde forensic scientist insisted.

"Stop arguing, Allen, and box it up," the director opposite of him replied dismissively.

"No."

"No?" The director raised an eyebrow.

Barry Allen pointed at the folder of files in his hand. "This man was murdered in the parking lot of his office. It might have been made to _look _like a robbery, but the lot is locked after hours. Whoever killed him had access." He put the folder on the desk. "This case is solvable if we move fast-"

"And fast is the word of the week." the director cut him off. "Look Allen, the chief wants everyone working on the Flash case."

And indeed, the entire lab was busy. Technicians and various other employees moved up and down the stairs carrying boxes upon boxes of files related to the red blur of Central City, code-named "The Flash". A sandy-haired bespectacled man was talking with a group of officers, all the while pointing to a screen where a still image of the speedy hero posed.

"Everyone. On the Flash case," the director punctuated, standing up from the desk. "That includes you, Golden Boy."

"This man was a husband _and _a father, director Singh." Barry gestured with the folder once more. "Don't let him become a cold case."

Singh sighed and shook his head, and began putting on his jacket. "I'm sorry Barry, I really am, but this isn't my call. I want to get back to solving real murders just like you, but we can't… not until we find out who this 'Flash' really is."

Barry narrowed his eyes as Singh walked out of the lab.

* * *

"Tear gas. Sonic grenades. Tasers. Batarangs."

"Your belt's empty, Batman."

Batman sprang backwards as the tear gas began to dissipate and activated a nearby Sonic Disruptor in an attempt to disorient the incoming Superman. Hundreds of decibels, and not so much as a look of discomfort on the alien's face.

Superman rushed forward and shoved Batman into a nearby ruin of a wall. Reaching down, he ripped the box from his belt and held it up, all the while keeping a grip on Batman's neck. "Earlier today, I was attacked by something. It was carrying one of these boxes," he held it up to Batman's face. "It blew up and nearly took the building with it." He tossed Batman down onto the ground. "Who are you and why do you have this?!"

Batman sputtered, trying to get oxygen back into his lungs again. Before he could respond, a mass of green chains smashed into Superman's jaw. As the alien fell, the chains coiled themselves around him, keeping him still.

A very pissed-off Green Lantern flew down. "Alright big guy, ready for round two?" The emerald warrior grimaced as Superman chuckled and looked up, his eyes glowing crimson red.

"Really, Lantern? Chains?" Batman watched as Superman roared and the chains snapped into green fragments, the force of the explosion knocking the other two off of their feet.

"He shattered my construct like it was nothing! How the hell did he do that?!" Lantern yelled, hurriedly forming a new construct. Superman leapt towards the two, his arm drawn back.

"He's angry," Batman replied flatly. Superman smashed down, his fist narrowly missing the two. "He was worked into a frenzy before we got to him. We have to talk him down."

"Talk to him?! Are you crazy?!" Lantern yelled, attempting to reinforce his construct before Superman punched them again.

The Man of Steel punched in their direction, his fist once more narrowly missing Green Lantern's construct- a ball surrounding him and Batman- but the force of the punch sent the ball flying.

"You can't beat him, Lantern!" Batman yelled over the commotion. "He's too strong. Too fast."

"Yeah well," Green Lantern gritted his teeth, struggling to keep the construct together as it flew. "I know someone who's faster."

* * *

Barry shuffled through the pile of information on the Flash. He sighed, but jumped when he heard his phone vibrate. It was an unknown number, but Barry decided to answer it anyway.

"Barry Allen here."

"_Flash?! It's me! Green Lantern!"_

Barry's eyes widened and he looked around to make sure no one was listening. Luckily, everyone else was still busy trying to solve the Flash case, so he went back to the call.

"Hal? I told you never to call me-"

"_Look, pal, I could really use your help right now."_

* * *

"I'm in Metropolis at Seventh and Main!" Hal grunted as his construct slammed into a building and tumbled once more. "Er, Seventh and Broadway actually!"

"You need to focus here, Lantern!" Batman cried. "You stop concentrating and that shield's going to break apart."

"_Who's that?"_

"Batman."

"_You're with Batman?!"_

"Yeah, and he's a total tool."

"_What'd you do?" _Hal could practically hear the disappointed tone in Barry's voice as if he were right next to him.

"Look, I didn't do anything."

"_You always do something."_

* * *

"_Yeah well I didn't start the fight."_

Barry couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not only was Hal somehow with the Batman, he was now in a fight? "What fight?" he asked.

"_Uh, me and Batman versus Superman."_

"Superman?! Are you crazy?!" Barry yelled. The other employees in the lab all turned to look at him. He gave a weak grin. "Just dealing with some family issues, nothing to see here." He turned back to his phone.

"_-obably."_ Hal was saying. _"Look, I'll explain it all to you AFTER you run here and help us out!"_

"No." Barry replied flatly.

"_No?!"_

"Remember the last time that the Flash and Green Lantern were seen in public?"

"_Yeah, we kicked a talking gorilla's ass and saved Central City!"_

"And we destroyed the Museum of Natural History doing it!" Barry rubbed his face in frustration. "Look Hal, my _boss's _boss has mobilized an entire "Flash Task Force" to bring me in. Which means, I can't do jack at my day job."

* * *

Green Lantern grunted as the construct shattered and he and Batman were sent tumbling down the street. Superman closed in on them. "Flash!" he yelled. "This guy is going to KILL US!"

"All right".

A red and yellow blur slammed into Superman so fast the Man of Steel spun in place.

"Let me give you some breathing room."

Standing before the superhumans was a man wearing a red costume, with yellow boots and streaks of yellow throughout the suit. A red mask with yellow "horns" on the sides of his head adorned his face. On his chest, a singular lightning bolt was outlined in white.

The Flash.

Barry struck Superman with his palm, sending him streaking towards an abandoned building. The force of his collision sent bricks and steel flying.

"I don't like being attacked," Superman said before speeding towards the Flash once more.

"He attacked me!" Hal cried out, holding his left arm.

"Look, you're both confused here, Lantern." Flash got into a stance as Superman got closer and closer.

"I think-" A swipe, and a dodge to the left. "-this is-"

"-a big-" Another swipe by Superman, and a dodge to his previous position.

"-misunderstanding." Flash grabbed Superman's cape and yanked it. He quickly ran around the alien, watching as Superman tried to grab hold of him unsuccessfully."

"Don't bother-" A miss.

"-trying to-" Another miss.

"-catch me, Superman," Flash said, wagging his finger disapprovingly. "I've never been touched."

"Like-" Another unsuccessful punch.

"-ever." A missed elbow hit.

Superman suddenly stuck out his arm and flicked his finger just as Flash ran towards it. The force of the flick sent Barry flying into a hot-dog stand a block away.

"He actually hit me," Barry muttered, rubbing his head. "I can't believe it."

Batman finally stood up, walking over to Superman and Green Lantern and standing between them, his arms outstretched. "Stop, Superman, please," he said. "We're not working with those fire-breathing monsters. We were attacked, just like you." Superman got out of his combat stance and relaxed, looking at Batman curiously. "Green Lantern's ring said they were alien. We thought you would know something about it."

"Uh, yeah, what Batman said," Green Lantern added. He used his ring to send the box into Batman's hands.

Superman folded his arms across his chest. "I've never seen a creature like that before."

"But it had one of these?" Batman held up the box that they had gotten earlier.

"I thought it blew up with him," Superman replied.

Flash zoomed onto the group, the lightning behind him fizzling out. "What blew up? Are we still fighting?"

"No." Green Lantern answered.

"Then I'll clean up." and with that, Flash zoomed once more, picking debris off of the street, attempting to make it at the very least, a little cleaner.

"**EVERYONE, CLEAR THE AREA!"**

The costumed warriors looked up to see several helicopters approaching their location, their searchlights illuminating the rather dark street. Acting quickly, the four dove into a large hole that the battle had caused that led right into the sewers.

As the Flash and Green Lantern argued, Batman gestured to Superman to follow them.

"Why should I follow you?" he asked.

"Because you're like us," Batman replied, running off into the darkness.

"No one's like me."

"That's not what the rest of the world thinks, Superman."

Sparing one last glance at the approaching helicopters, Superman followed the other three into the darkness.

Green Lantern flew next to Batman. "You look extra serious."

"I'm concerned, you should be too." he whispered.

"About what? Superman?"

"No. I'm worried there may be more boxes out there."

Just as he said that, the box ominously "pinged" again.

* * *

_Detroit, Michigan_

_S.T.A.R Labs Super-Human Studies_

"Thank you again, Dr. Pym, for helping us with this," Dr. Stone said, shaking the hand of the scientist before him.

Hank Pym, genius scientist, and owner of Pym Labs, flashed a confident smile. "Of course, Dr. Stone. Anything I can do to help a fellow 'man of science'!" he chuckled. "Now, what do we have here?"

Stone gestured to a maroon red box with a yellow "core". It was held by some robotic arms as other scientists observed it. A dozen or so technicians and doctors mulled about, comparing notes or operating machinery.

"It was recovered from wreckage of Superman's battle earlier this morning," a female scientist replied.

"Did it belong to Superman, Sarah?" Stone asked.

"We don't think so," Sarah responded. "It's been hard to determine _anything _about it, starting with the metal it's made of."

"However, we have picked up some sort of signal broadcasting from it," another scientist added. He pushed up his glasses over his bearded face. "We've found similar broadcasting coming from Washington D.C, Central City, Coast City, and New England."

"All places of 'super-human' activity," Pym mused.

"Well, not exactly, Dr. Pym. We also saw similar broadcasting coming from Calcutta," the bespectacled scientist replied.

"Calcutta?" Stone repeated. "What's happening there?"

"We're not sure sir, but there were reports earlier tonight of the so-called 'Iron Man' fighting something in Manhattan. Supposedly he was also carrying one of these boxes. Perhaps he took it there?"

"But for what, exactly?" Pym muttered.

"So, the super-humans _are _involved in this," Stone said aloud, just as another scientist walked up to him.

"Sir? Your son is here." the Asian man said to Stone. Stone waved a hand dismissively.

"I don't have time to talk to him."

"He seems pretty upset. Again," the scientist insisted.

"Your son? Doesn't he play football?" Pym asked.

"Yes. How did you know?" Stone replied.

"Heard from a friend of mine. He told me if your son does good enough, he may end up in the NFL." he patted Stone on the shoulder. "Go easy on him. I'll take it from here and update you on anything."

Stone rubbed his face. "For God's sake, let him up."

* * *

Stone walked into the room where his son Victor was waiting. He wore a varsity jacket and simple sweats, a duffel bag on the floor next to him. He got up right away. "Dad-?"

"Victor, I'm in the middle of some very important work."

"Dad, you said you'd be at my game today. You _promised._" Victor gestured with his arms. "The scouts were there. They were there to see me. Coach said every single one of them offered full scholarships-"

"Victor, you don't need a scholarship." Stone put the tablet he's been inputting data into down. "I'm paying for your school."

"Pay for someone who needs it," Victor insisted. "I can play football for them. M.S.U was there-"

"M.S.U is a fine university, but you shouldn't waste your time playing games." Stone's voice began to cultivate an edge, but Victor continued to talk.

"I like it. I'm good at it," Victor pointed to himself. "I can go _pro, _Dad. Everyone says so."

Stone had had enough. He finally looked his child in the face. "Open your eyes, son!" he shouted.

Victor slumped down in his chair, bracing for the inevitable lecture from his father. Which came.

"Look at the world we live in today!" Stone pressed some buttons on a nearby console, showing his son prerecorded footage of various super-humans. A giant green man smashing up Harlem with his fists. Superman rescuing a bus full of children. A red-and-yellow blur hitting a bunch of bank robbers. Iron Man fighting terrorists in the Middle East. A bolt of lightning striking a terrorist's stolen tank not once, but twice…

"We're witnessing the birth of a new race of people. The super-human. People who can tear buildings in half, leap over incredible bounds and outrun race cars," Stone continued. "They will make what you can 'do' obsolete! Do you understand?"

Stone shut down the screens. "Catching footballs and scoring touchdowns are a joke!"

Victor glared at his father and got up, taking his bag with him. As he walked out, he stopped and looked at his father. "You're never coming to one of my games, are you?"

Stone looked at his son. Victor saw something in his expression- regret, perhaps? Before his face hardened once more.

"No." and that was final.

* * *

_Elsewhere, in Calcutta…_

"Wait, what?" Bruce Banner rubbed his face at the man in front of him.

Tony Stark gave him a small grin. "Yeah, JARVIS couldn't identify ol' 'Pandora's Box'," he pointed to the box, which lay on a small wooden table. "So I wanted a second opinion. And you're the only one I know who could help me without asking too many questions." The business suit clad Tony was a huge difference from the simple shirt and pants Bruce wore.

Bruce lay down on his simple bed, staring at the box on the table. "You were tracking some sort of green creature in New York, who proceeded to plant this box in the basement of a bank and then exploded?"

"Yup."

All Bruce wanted was to get away, find some peace and try to deal with his… condition. And then Tony had to come, talking about some weird creature and a box that looked incredibly alien.

"Look, Tony," Bruce looked up at his "friend". "Why'd you come to me? What about Reed?"

"Reed?" Tony snorted. "Have you forgotten? He and Sue are still planning that starship project." He stopped as Bruce looked at him weirdly. "Man, you have been living under a rock, huh?"

"Look," Tony said, sitting down on a creaky chair. "I know you want to be left alone to do… whatever it is you want to do… but, come on. I helped you with the Harlem incident a year ago. Can you help a brother out, just this once?" Bruce looked at him pointedly. "Hey, just tell me what you think, and I'll leave you alone. And if you can't think of anything, I'll go bother Reed about it. I doubt he'll be happy, though."

The box "pinged" again, and Bruce jumped. Cautiously he grabbed the box and turned it over. "Well, I don't think it's a bomb- otherwise-"

"It would've exploded when the creature did- sorry," Tony rubbed the back of his head as Bruce frowned at the interruption.

Bruce turned the box over again, examining every little detail. "If it's alien like you think, maybe it's some sort of communication device? Or maybe a computer? It has to be valuable for that thing to seemingly value that over it's life, like you said."

"What do you think about 'Dark Side'?" Tony asked, rubbing his goatee.

"'Dark Side'?" Bruce repeated. "What is that- like a band?"

"The creature yelled out, 'For Darkseid!' right before he exploded…" Tony paced back and forth. "What if it's a name?"

"A name? Tony, what are you talking about?" Bruce's look of confusion got worse as Tony muttered to himself.

"Hmm… for it's leader, commander maybe…" Tony trailed off and looked up. "Wait, does that mean-"

* * *

Hal turned to Barry as Superman and Batman talked. They were at an abandoned printing press, supposedly because Superman "didn't have a hideout". Lantern managed to provide some lights by constructing lamps with his ring. "Hey, Flash," he whispered.

"What?" Barry whispered back.

"I say we ditch black-and-blue back there and figure this out ourselves. Batman's a pain in the ass and Superman doesn't even know what this is-" he gestured to the floating box, which "pinged" again.

"So who would know?" Barry asked. He looked at Hal's hand. "How about the aliens that made your ring? Couldn't _they _tell you what this is?"

Hal shook his head. "I tried. The ring doesn't know, which means the Guardians don't know either." He looked to Barry. "Maybe you could disassemble it and take a quick look?"

"I don't think I should."

"Why not?"

"Because it could be radioactive or toxic, Lantern."

Superman walked over to the box, scrutinizing it. "I can't see through it," he told Barry.

"You can see _through _things?" Barry said, shocked.

"Most of the time."

"Wow. What's your power, Batman?" Barry turned to Batman, who narrowed his eyes.

"I can keep us on point." He walked over to the box, which lay within the spherical construct that Lantern had made to hold it. "Is there anything else we can learn from this thing?"

"Look, Flash and I were just about to-" Lantern began.

Flash zoomed next to him. "I could take it in for analysis. Find out if there are any traces of fingerprints or DNA on it. Maybe someone else came into contact with it."

Batman frowned deeper. "You sound like a cop."

"I am. I work in a crime lab."

"Barry! You're exposing your identity!" Lantern cried. Flash rolled his eyes and looked at his "friend". "And you just called me 'Barry', genius."

The box suddenly began to make it's "pinging" noise at a much louder and frequent pace.

"What's it doing?" Lantern asked as some sort of vibrant energy began to surround the box.

* * *

Stone picked up his tablet once more, but before he could do anything, a younger employee dashed into the room. "Dr. Stone, you've got to see this!"

"Where's Dr. Pym?" he asked.

The younger employee turned. "He went out with some of the others-"

"Dad, what's that-?"

Dr. Stone watched as the box that they had been monitoring began to "ping" more and more frequently, a strange energy gathering around it.

"EVERYONE, GET OUT! GET OUT-" he cried.

Too late. With a thunderous boom, the box shot an enormous blast of energy, vaporizing the other scientist, barely missing Stone but hitting… Victor's right side.

* * *

The box exploded in a orange-red surge of energy and hundreds of creatures blossomed outwards. The four heroes were thrown back as the creatures cried:

"FOR DARKSEID!"

* * *

Tony quickly activated his armor, which had been reduced to suitcase-like form. "Bruce get down-" He managed to get one armored hand on his friend before the box exploded, sending them both out of the shack and onto the grassy field. Tony gasped as dozens of creatures emerged from the portal- the same ones as the one he had fought earlier that night.

"Bruce-? Buddy, you there?" Tony looked around, and finally saw his friend's body a few feet away. The look of relief on his face slowly faded as Bruce began to growl, his body growing and getting greener.

_Oh boy,_ Tony thought, readying his armor's weapons. It was going to be a long night.

What Tony didn't see was the man who walked out of the portal: A man with a green outfit with tints of yellow armor. A gold helmet with large horns sat on his head.

The man smiled and raised his staff towards the growing Bruce Banner, and laughed to himself.

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

_Somewhere in Africa..._

"There, all done." Dr. Donald Blake smiled at the young African child, who hugged him and ran off to meet her mother. The young, handsome blonde doctor went outside, and after a quick chat with the mother about the child's health, went and took off his gloves. All the work he needed to do today was done.

As he pulled out an MP3 player and some earbuds, he heard footsteps. "Once more, Doctor Blake, I must thank you for your help. We really needed the extra hands."

Blake smiled at the approaching doctor, a somewhat lean man in his fifties. He shook the doctor's hands. "Just doing what I can, Doctor Madrow."

The doctor's smile faded as he looked out. "What is the world coming to, Blake? We've got these so called 'super-humans' running around in the U.S, and the U.N is so focused on them that they aren't paying attention to the human suffering happening here." he shook his head. "What am I doing, ranting to you on your break."

Blake nodded understandingly. "You are right Madrow. The world certainly is going somewhere very strange."

"I'll leave you to it then, Blake." Madrow walked back towards the refugee camp.

Blake narrowed his eyes as he heard something… screaming, coming from the West… and the laughter of someone he knew, coming from the North…

Pocketing his electronics, Blake reached for the cane next to him.

Thunder crackled, and rain began to fall.

Madrow walked out of the camp once more. "Blake! It started raining! You should come back inside- Blake? Blake?"

Madrow looked left and right, but wherever he looked, Blake wasn't there.

He was gone.

**And, done.**

**Next time, the boxes have unleashed their true power! A certain woman breaks out of containment! Two brothers go head-to-head in India! And a meeting for the ages!**

**Until next time.**


	3. Origins III

Tony grunted as the giant green man- the Hulk- tossed him like a ragdoll. Thank God that there were no civilians around, or else it would've gotten messy very quickly.

The Hulk gave another roar, seemingly oblivious to the creatures swarming behind him- the "parademons", as the man with the horns had called them.

The horned man was still cackling to himself, aiming his scepter at the Hulk. Tony was at least 99.9% sure he was controlling the big man.

_Alright Bruce, guess I gotta put you down myself. _Tony quickly swung around and clenched his fist, throwing a punch which landed on Big Green's jaw- right before he got his hands around Tony.

The force of the blow sent the Hulk staggering. Just as Tony was about to change targets to the horned man- Hulk recovered and sent a large, green fist his way.

_Crap! _The fist smashed into Tony, sending him flying down the hill. He'd definitely need to repair his armor after this was all over. Opening his palms, he rapid-fired repulsor blasts, which did little to stop the incoming Hulk.

"_Sir, there appears to be something coming from the south!" _

"What is it, JARVIS? Ngh-!" Tony grunted as he barely dodged the Hulk's swipe. He rolled to the side. The Hulk prepared to strike again when he stopped. The previously cloudless night sky seemed to get darker. Rain began to fall. The horned man had stopped laughing, and the parademons had stopped in their march.

The Hulk sniffed the air and roared. He turned back to Tony, but right before he could do anything, something hit him in the chest and sent him flying.

"JARVIS, what the hell was that?"

"_It appeared to be a hammer, sir."_

_A hammer?_ Tony thought. Thunder boomed overhead, and all of a sudden someone landed on the ground next to him.

Lighting arced around the newcomer. His entire body seemed to be coated with lightning bolts. What Tony could make out of the figure gave him the image of a regal warrior: a strong, bulky body in a blue sleeveless outfit, with six shiny circles on his chest. Yellow boots. A red cape. Long, flowing blonde hair. A square jaw. And to top it all off, a helmet with little wings sat atop his head.

"Greetings, Iron Man," the newcomer said, turning to Tony. "I am Thor, son of Odin and God of Thunder."

Tony looked at him with shock, though his helmed visage gave nothing away. "Yeah, hi. I'm guessing the whole 'thunder-and-lightning' thing was your doing?"

Thor gave him a nod and Tony turned to the Hulk, who was still struggling to get up. "That is the one you people call 'The Hulk', I presume?" he rumbled.

"Yeah," Tony replied, shifting his feet as the Hulk roared once more and began charging towards the two of them.

"Does he usually act like this?"

"Like what, _Pointbreak?_" Thor gave Tony a sideways glance, and Tony just waved it off. "Well, he does tend to smash things up, but when he does turn berserk I use a bunch of sonics to knock him off balance. Only this time, it didn't work."

The Hulk leaped towards the two and the warriors dodged the attack, throwing themselves out of the Hulk's path. Thor pointed as the Hulk turned. "Look at his eyes."

Tony followed Thor's direction and zoomed in onto the Hulk's eyes, which seemed to be glazed over. The big man leapt towards the two once more and missed again, but continued to swipe the empty air as if his targets were still there.

"Seems Banner's fighting against something," Tony said, using the suit's systems to scan the green man. "His brain activity is all over the place."

"He is fighting against someone." Thor replied, staring up the hill. Tony turned and saw the horned man standing at the top, glaring at both of them.

"Why hello there, dear brother," the horned man shouted. "How… good to see you again."

"He's your brother?" Tony turned to Thor and back to the horned man. "What's his beef with you?"

"Loki wishes to see the Earth conquered. I wish to protect it." Thor gripped his hammer harder and stared at the ground. "We have fought numerous times over the past year, but now…" He looked up once more, his eyes full of rage. "For him to steep as low as this…"

Thor pointed his finger accusingly at Loki. "How _dare _you ally yourself with the very same demons that we fought against!"

"Woah, woah, woah, hold up." Tony shook his head. "So, not only are you the 'God of Thunder', this guy is your brother, and you and him fought these parademons? The same parademons Banner and I just encountered tonight?"

Thor spoke to him, but kept his eyes focused on Loki. "Long ago, my father Odin battled against these very same creatures in defense of our home, Asgard. He nearly lost his life against their ruler."

Tony gave a "huh", and crossed his arms. He was about to ask just who exactly that "ruler" was when Thor spoke once more. "Listen carefully, Loki. When we are finished with this, we will go to Father, and he will-" Thor was cut off as a large green arm smacked him aside, knocking him into a group of parademons who happened to be nearby. Another green arm quickly punched Tony into the ground before he could react.

The Hulk beat his chest and roared.

"What will he do, exactly?" Loki asked to the air.

* * *

_Washington D.C_

The sandy-haired man rubbed his head as he walked into the dark room. The entire day had been hell. Mounds of paperwork, trying to keep the press from sinking their claws into Diana, and all sorts of other bureaucratic work. But at least it was over, and he could tell Diana-

Where was Diana?

"DIANA?!" Steve Trevor barked, but there was no response. In front of him, several screens depicted the local news. The topic in question was that of Wonder Woman…

"She's gone, Colonel Trevor."

Steve turned as two guards approached him. He rubbed his eyes in frustration. "I can see that, Ben," he replied, addressing the Caucasian guard. "She was supposed to wait for me. What happened?!"

"She was flipping through the T.V channels," an African-American guard replied. "She was _arguing _with them, as if they could actually hear her. Until she saw reports of a winged monster in Downtown D.C. That's when she left." he paused. "You're worried about her being out there, huh?"

"No, I'm worried about _everyone else! _Diana's always looking for a fight!" Steve shouted. "Why didn't you stop her?!"

A mustached guard pointed to a human-shaped hole in the wall, as well as a dozen injured guards. The rays of the afternoon sun poked through, and cars drove down the street.

"You're kidding, right?"

* * *

"Has anyone seen a harpy?"

Onlookers gasped and took photos as the woman- no, Wonder Woman, walked down the street, sword in hand. Her flawless skin, a red-and-gold breastplate as well as bright blue… undergarments, along with the silver bracelets on her arms all contributed to the idea that she had leaped straight from a movie, or a novel.

So, the people around her continued to gasp and take photos as she spoke.

"I was told a winged monster attacked you," she began.

Silence.

"Harpies are nasty creatures, but I promise you, they won't be a bother once their heads are severed."

More silence.

"I am speaking your language correctly, am I not?"

Wonder Woman turned as a small child approached her- she couldn't have been more than elementary school age- and cried, "You're Wonder Woman!"

"My name is Diana," the woman replied, kneeling down to the child's level. Upon closer inspection, she could see that her hair had been braided into two pigtails. The child also had a pink backpack on, and some sort of strange food in her hands: some sort of pink ball atop a beige cone.

"My name's Raquel," the child replied, with a hint of pride.

"Thank you for speaking with me, Raquel." Diana noticed that the child didn't have a hint of fear in her eyes that was noticeable among most people she interacted with; eyes full of excitement and curiosity merely looked back. "Are you not afraid of me?" she questioned.

"Not really." Raquel vigorously shook her head, causing the pink ball to wobble on top of its platform.

"What are you eating?" Diana pointed to the treat in Raquel's hands.

"It's-oops," the pink ball tumbled from the cone onto the asphalt floor. "Ice cream."

Diana scooped up the "ice cream" with the flat of her blade. "What exactly is 'ice cream'?"

Raquel gasped in surprise. "Haven't you ever had ice cream?"

"No."

"It's the greatest food in the world if you ask me." Diana nodded and walked over to a nearby vendor, who backed away considerably as she pointed her blade at him. "May I try some?" She looked down at Raquel, who still carried an empty cone. "And another for my friend."

The vendor, a somewhat stocky middle-aged man nodded nervously and fished out two identical ice cream cones. "Yeah, of course," he said shakily, handing over the treats. "Just don't take my arm out with that, yeah? Heh…" He sighed in relief as Diana lowered her blade and took a cautious lick of the treat.

"Mm. Ice cream _is _wonderful," Diana pointed her sword at the vendor again, causing him to stiffen. "You should be _very _proud of this achievement!"

As the vendor thanked her, Diana heard the sound of several footsteps hitting the pavement. Two armed guards, the same ones as those at the Pentagon came and escorted Raquel away.

"Diana!"

She turned to see Steve hurriedly making his way to her. She smiled and gestured to the vendor behind her. "Steve! Have you ever had ice cream?" she called out. "This cook is truly blessed!"

Steve ignored her comment and pointed to her. "You need to come back with me to the Pentagon."

She frowned and lowered her sword again. "You sound like my mother," she replied.

"I'm your appointed liaison," he retorted. "I don't like it any more than you do, but-"

Diana stared at the nearly-finished ice cream in her hand. "Steve, this place, your home… It is filled with so many wonderful things. Ice cream, rock-and-roll, movies and so much more." she turned to him, and her beautiful features hardened slightly. "But there is a darkness lurking here too. One that I am going to fight." She shifted her weight and looked Steve in his bright blue eyes. "That is why I'm here. That is why I'm staying. To fight."

Steve's eyebrow shot up. "All you want to do _is _fight."

Diana got closer to him, staring him in the eye. "I grew up on Paradise Island where I was treated like a child my entire life. But this," She gestured to the people and the buildings around her, "is not Paradise Island, and I'm not a child anymore." She stood straighter and said confidently, "I'm done with people telling me what to do."

Steve sighed and looked at her. "Look, I just don't want anyone getting hurt. Especially y-"

A distinct "ping" noise echoed throughout the block.

"What was that?" Steve turned around, and his eyes widened.

On top of a nearby building sat some sort of creature, with green skin, bronze armor and.. wings. It screeched as the "pinging" noise became more and more frequent.

"Not a harpy," Diana replied, getting into a fighting stance.

With a flash of light and a deafening boom, dozens of the same creature appeared overhead, and swooped towards the two.

"But it is a fight!" Diana felt the blood rushing through her veins as she pointed her blade at the incoming enemies. "Leave this to me."

* * *

_Detroit, Michigan_

_S.T.A.R.S Lab_

Sarah could only watch as hundreds of those creatures flew throughout the night sky, carrying people in their clutches. The screams of those captured seem to echo throughout the night; it was practically maddening to hear. She screamed as she saw another scientist lifted into the air but the creatures.

She ran over to the goateed Doctor Thomas Morrow, who was making his way through the rubble. "They took Professor Ivo!" she frantically told him. "Did you see it?!" He gave her a look of varying emotions, flipping through despair, horror and shock. He steeled himself, and kept moving. "Silas!" he called out, and she saw the form of Dr. Stone, who was kneeling next to the body of his son. Victor still seemed to be radiating some sort of strange reddish energy.

She turned as the blonde-haired Dr. Pym caught up to Morrow. The somewhat handsome scientist was bleeding from his forehead, and seemed to move with a limp.

"Jesus," Pym muttered, staring as Stone continued to cradle his son's body. The boy had been burned severely, and the burned spots still radiated energy. His entire left eye was gone, replaced with a glowing hole.

Morrow put a hand on Silas' shoulder. "Doctor Stone, your son is gone. We have to go, now!"

"I'm not going anywhere, Thomas," Stone replied quietly.

"But-"

Stone whirled around, a bright rage and determination in his eyes. "I already saw his mother die." He looked at his son once more.

"I REFUSE to let him die too."

* * *

_Calcutta, India_

_Bruce Banner's (former) "home"_

Thor grimaced as he swung his hammer once more, hitting the Hulk's jaw with a sickening crack. The Hulk flew into the air, smashing onto the ruined grass again.

"Focus, Banner!" Thor began swinging his hammer once more in preparation for when the beast inevitably charged again. "We are not your enemies!"

The Hulk roared again and looked like he was going to charge before stopping. He roared in pain and stumbled, holding his head. Thor cautiously approached him.

"Yes, Banner, fight it!" he encouraged quietly.

"Oh dear, we can't have that," Loki muttered, pointing his staff once more. He thrusted it in the Hulk's direction and immediately the Hulk bellowed once more. The green beast threw another punch towards Thor, who just barely caught it with his two hands. He grunted in exertion as the big man continued adding more force to his fist.

Tony, meanwhile was fighting wave after wave of parademons, who just seemed to pile on endlessly. Take one out, and two more seemed to take its place.

"JARVIS, is our 'secret weapon' ready?"

"_Yes, sir. Your opponents are in optimal position."_

Tony grinned. "Then let's show them what we can do." He clenched his fists and quickly readied the new weapon, just as swarms of parademons rushed him from all directions. With his trademark "Stark smirk", he stood up and gyrated in place, keeping his arms outstretched. From his arms, two lasers shot out, and moved as Tony spun taking out dozens of parademons in quick succession. Bodies were cut, and armor was melted to slag.

The swarms were gone at last. Most of them had gone to the city anyways. But that could be dealt with later. Right now, Mr. _Reindeer Games _needed to be taken out. Luckily, he was still focused on his brother and Bruce, his eyes still staring in their direction.

Tony crept behind the man and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Rudolph!"

Loki whirled and received a metal punch in the face. The brother of Thor went flying, dropping his staff as he did so. Quickly, Tony picked the staff up and snapped it with ease. Some sort of energy hissed from its remains and flew into the night.

With that, the Hulk finally stopped attacking Thor and lowered his arms. Slowly, The Hulk began to shrink until finally he was human-sized. Bruce Banner collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

"Ugh," he groaned. He hazily looked up at the form of Thor and twitched. Tony flew down to the two, Loki in hand. Dropping the brother onto Thor, he kneeled next to Bruce. "Hey, buddy, you alright?"

Bruce smiled weakly, rubbing his eyes. "I've been better." He looked down at the unconscious form of Loki. "It was like he was controlling me with a leash- I couldn't do anything of my own free will except fight back- and everytime I did he would turn my anger against you two."

"We can focus on that later," Thor said abruptly, looking towards the city. Giant flocks of parademons were flying from it, off into the distance. "We should follow them. It appears they are taking the citizens somewhere else."

"Right," Tony said, standing up and allowing his helmet's faceplate to slide over him once more. He turned to Bruce. "You've gotta come to. We may need your help with… smashing. You fine with that?"

Banner nodded and shakily stood up. "Yeah, yeah I got it. I mean, we're already involved in… whatever this is."

Thor carried Loki's body with one hand and his hammer in the other. As he began shaking his weapon once more, he turned to the other two. "Will you two be able to follow me?"

"Yeah, don't worry about that _Conan,_" Tony replied. He clapped Bruce on the shoulder. "I've got something for our friend here."

Thor nodded silently and swung his hammer, taking him off of the ground. Tony quickly addressed his A.I.

"Hey JARVIS, is the 'cage' ready?"

"_Yes sir, awaiting your orders."_

Bruce gulped.

* * *

_Metropolis_

_Daily Planet abandoned printing press_

Superman grunted as he tore the wing off of the nearby creature. Its screams were nothing compared to the cries of the civilians around him being picked up one by one to be taken to… somewhere. Men, women and children had been abducted by hundreds of these creatures, and their forms filled the sky.

Nearby, Green Lantern hastily constructed weapon after weapon to keep the swarms off of them. Batman used every gadget in his arsenal from Batarangs to his grapple gun to assist. Flash, on the other hand merely zoomed around, landing sonic punch after sonic punch on the surrounding creatures. However, for all their efforts the masses seemed to be never-ending.

"I get radio broadcasts in my earpiece and this isn't an isolated incident," Flash shouted over the fighting. "This is a global thing. And everyone thinks this has got something to do with us."

Hal chuckled as he swung some green hammers, battering more creatures. His breath had become more ragged and sweat ran down his forehead. "What else is new, Flash?"

"Concentrate, Lantern!" Batman swung his cape over his arm, attempting to block a creature's heat beam. "The things you make with your mind are cracking, which means that you're not focused." He glared at the green-clad warrior. "You need to calm down and-"

Hal roared and conjured a minigun, rapidly firing green bullets. The rounds managed to drive the creatures away, at least for a little bit. He turned his head to Batman and yelled, "I _am_ calm, Batman." He turned back and gritted his teeth. "I. am. Always. calm."

Batman quickly threw several Batarangs, two of them impaling the attacking creature's eyes. He turned back. "That's not what it looks like."

A monster leapt towards Hal, who quickly formed a green gauntlet over his arm. He threw a straight, caving in the creature's face and sending it flying. "Hey, worry about yourself," he said, forming a green baseball bat. "You're the one without powers."

"Wait, so Batman _doesn't _have powers?" Flash said. He grabbed a screaming woman and dragged her to cover. She tearfully begged him not to hurt her, and he awkwardly assured he wouldn't. Rapidly spinning his arms to create whirlwinds to push back the approaching army of monsters, he yelled over the fight, "I thought you were a vampire or something."

Batman narrowed his eyes. "We need to step back and regroup. There's too many of them for us to just barrel through."

"Tell that to Superman," Flash replied.

The Man of Steel was currently leading a dozen-or-so creatures to the dock. As they closed on him, he grabbed a nearby truck and swung it, the mass of metal and machinery sending the monsters flying through the air.

"That's it, guys," he muttered, readying the truck once more. "Smile for me."

With another swing, he sent the monsters flying into the bay.

Even with that attack, more monsters were attempting to fight him. Superman ripped pieces off of the truck and hurled them at the approaching army, but it seemed endless.

* * *

"Where exactly are we going?" Sarah struggled to keep pace with Dr. Stone, who was walking with a sense of purpose she hadn't seen in him before. Behind her, Doctors Pym and Morrow carried the still-reddened body of Victor.

"We have to get him to the Red Room," Stone replied. He approached a large door with a sign over it saying "RESTRICTED". He began to push against the door and grunted with effort. Sarah joined him, and together they pushed the heavy door open.

Stone flicked a switch on the left side of the room, which turned on the lights and monitors, allowing Sarah to see all the various machinery and equipment in the room. The entire room was lit up in a red glow.

"Wow," she gasped.

"For God's sake, Sarah, don't touch anything." Morrow grunted as he and Pym lugged Victor into the room. "Hell, we shouldn't be touching anything, Silas."

Stone ignored him and looked to Pym. "There's a manual switch for the door. Lock it." The other doctor complied and handed his half of Victor to Stone. As Pym locked the door behind them, Stone and Morrow brought Victor's body into a nearby chair.

"I'm not leaving you, Victor." Silas clasped his son's hand. "So please, don't leave me."

* * *

"Whoa!" Flash stopped in his tracks. "Did you see that? Superman just used a truck as a baseball bat!"

Green Lantern snorted. "Yeah, I can do that too." He summoned a green garbage truck, which barreled into another group of approaching creatures.

Superman fired his heat vision, melting a creature into a bloody mess. "Where are they taking them?"

Hal continued to maneuver his truck, managing to run over some more monsters. "What do you mean?"

"They're taking the people," Batman replied. Indeed, the creatures had mostly stopped attacking them save for a few, and most of the others were grabbing civilians and taking them into the air. "Superman's right. They aren't trying to kill people. So what did they want with _us?_"

There was no time to answer that question, as more green-and-gold monsters descended on the group. Just as they got within grasp of some of the civilians, a feminine voice called out.

"CREATURES OF EVIL!"

"BACK TO HADES!"

Diana leapt into the fray, sword swinging and lasso stringing up several monsters. She kicked one of them into a car and swung her blade, cutting off limbs and heads like it was a dance.

"Uh… wow," Flash muttered.

"Dibs," Green Lantern replied.

Another group of creatures descended on the civilians from another angle, but they were crushed when a giant cylinder smashed into them, crushing them into pulp.

"Oh, what now?!" Green Lantern said, as missiles suddenly came down from the skies, detonating upon impact with the groups of creatures. Following them were Iron Man and Thor, who flew down from the skies. The two of them touched down in the center of the group.

"Hey there!" Iron Man said. "Did we miss anything?"

Without even waiting for an answer, the two of them flew into the fight to join Superman and Wonder Woman, though Thor tossed the unconscious body of Loki next to Batman.

* * *

"It's incredible, Dr. Stone!" Morrow rapidly typed away on the console in front of him, which was currently analyzing Victor's body. "His vitals… they're still there. He's alive!"

"My God…" Pym whispered as he looked at the screen. "How is he…?"

Stone didn't react to them, instead hovering over his son. Victor seemed to awaken slightly, and whispered to his father.

"I'm right here, son," Silas replied, soothingly.

"It- it hurts," Victor choked out. "It hurts so bad."

"I know, I know," Silas whispered. "It's going to hurt, and it won't be easy, but-"

He was cut off as Victor screamed in agony, and Morrow and Pym looked as his vitals began to get messy on the monitor.

"Whatever that energy is, it's eating him from the inside out," Pym said, looking over the data. "It's going to send him into cardiac arrest. It's racing up his spinal cord too!"

"Then we can't wait." Silas picked up a large syringe and filled it with a green substance. As he was making sure it was functional, Morrow turned to Silas. "But what about the risk-"

"What choice do I have, Morrow?!" Silas barked. "This room contains technology found from all over the globe. I've studied and logged nearly everything in here. I've taken and rebuilt most of it." He injected the syringe into Victor's veins. "It can save my son's life."

"It has to." he fitted a metal headset over Victor's face, the burnt side.

Pym continued to look over the data, and turned as Silas attached pieces of metal to Victor's body with fascination. Morrow and Sarah on the other hand, watched worryingly. "What if his body rejects it?" Morrow asked.

"Rejects what, Morrow?!"

"The Promethium skin graft."

"It won't. I inserted the nanites." Silas attached more parts of the graft onto Victor's body. "Activate them."

"Those haven't been tested, Silas. We recovered them from-"

"DO IT!" Silas yelled again.

Morrow shook his head and reached for the button, but Pym beat him to it, activating the nanites.

Victor screamed as the nanites turned on, but his scream turned into what could only be described as auditory binary. His working eye popped open as he screamed.

* * *

"Greetings, warriors," Diana began, pulling her sword from a creature's corpse. "I followed them from your capital city. They stopped here, and I saw you all and saw that you needed help."

"So what are they, exactly?" Flash asked aloud, pushing a corpse off of a car.

"They're called parademons," Iron Man replied. He was currently helping a groggy Bruce Banner out of the giant cylinder that had fallen. "Apparently they're from another world."

"Parademons, you say?" Wonder Woman said. "A fitting name for such demonic creatures!"

"Yeah, I can tell, 'Shellhead'," Green Lantern retorted. "You won't get that in Coast City. And hey, aren't you supposed to be fighting terrorists in the Middle East, not fighting aliens?"

"Who are you, again?" Iron Man said with a hint of arrogance. "Superman, Flash and Batman I recognize, and Wonder Woman I've heard about, but who are you supposed to be? Kermit's owner?" he chuckled. "I mean, these guys are all high profile. You, on the other hand..."

"Why you-" Hal began, but was stopped by Flash, who shook his head. Hal continued to glare at Iron Man as he helped Banner dust off his clothes. The doctor turned to Iron Man and frowned. "We're not doing that again."

Superman pointed to the body of Loki on the ground. "Who's this guy?"

"My brother, Loki." Thor flew down from the skies, hammer in hand. He landed down next to the group, the others turning to look at him.

"And you are...?" Green Lantern asked.

"Thor, son of Odin, God of Thunder," Thor replied casually.

Green Lantern looked at the man like he was crazy, but Iron Man jumped to his defense as he helped Banner sit down. "Yeah, he's the real deal. If anymore of those parademons come back, I'm sure he can give you a demonstration of his thunder."

"I don't think they're coming back," Green Lantern said. "I think we scared them off."

"No."

Everyone turned to look at Batman, who was staring at the parademons flying off towards the ocean. "They're assembling," he elaborated.

Flash ran past the group, towards the edge of the docks and pointed to the creatures. "They're circling the water! You see that?!"

The others watched as the parademons went around and around, like some sort of ritual.

* * *

Victor screamed for what seemed like an eternity, and then…

_Ping_

He saw hundreds of flying creatures. Pits of lava and volcanoes. Skeletons were everywhere, practically encased in the ground. The air was red. If someone were to describe Hell, this was probably what came to mind.

At the center of it all, he saw a big figure. From what he could tell, his skin was charcoal grey, with cobalt armor protecting him. The thing had his hands clasped behind his back, and chills ran down Victor's spine as the thing _turned _and looked at him.

He screamed again when suddenly-

"_Online."_

"Victor?!" Silas cried, as he watched his son convulse and glow with the same strange energy he had been giving off before.

* * *

Something exploded out of the water and ascended into the sky, water covering its form. The energy it gave off seemed to turn the sky red, and the shockwaves of its arrival sent waves of water towards shore.

"Oh crap!" Green Lantern rushed to stop the approaching tides, quickly creating a barrier with his ring. Iron Man swooped in and picked up any stray civilians, dropping them off safely towards higher ground.

The booming off the object finally subsided as something emerged from the depths…

"Out of the ocean…" Green Lantern muttered. The others watched as a giant tower-looking structure emerged proudly. While it had mostly rock formations, it also had strange metals that made it look like someone had built and carved a building within the formation. The metals had the same color scheme as those of the parademons: gold and green. Hell, it looked like a giant World Cup trophy.

"What is that?" Flash asked, and Thor gripped his hammer tighter.

_Just what have you brought upon this world, Loki?! _He thought. When this was through, Loki would definitely pay for his crimes. But first…

"I was hoping you all could tell me."

Everyone turned at the voice, and saw a parademon standing in front of them. The parademon fell forward with a _thump_, and the others saw the trident embedded in its back. And its wielder.

A sandy-haired man stood before them, wearing some sort of dark green pants, boots and gloves, as well as bright orange scale armor for his chest. Chains were wrapped around him as he wrenched his trident out. "They were in the water too."

The man stood straighter, and all of them had different reactions. Green Lantern looked like he had had enough of this shit, and Flash had an expression of shock on his face as well. Iron Man's helmet hid his expression, while Thor, Superman and Wonder Woman looked at him with curiosity. Batman, on the other hand, simply narrowed his eyes again.

"So who's in charge here?" The trident man asked. "I vote _me_."

**To be continued…**

* * *

_It took me some time to finish this chapter. I couldn't figure out what to do next in regards to Hank Pym, but thanks to some advice, I think I know what I want to do with him in the following chapters._

_Once I finish the "Origin" arc, I will try to focus on more original, longer chapters. Expect to see some classic story arcs twisted for this universe, and a few surprises from some other universes..._

_Next time, Aquaman! Cyborg! The U.S Army! And the arrival of one of the greatest evils in the multiverse…_

_Until then,_

_Phant0mz0ne_


	4. Origins IV

_Detroit_

_S.T.A.R. Labs- Super Human Study_

_The Red Room_

Victor screamed, but it was like he couldn't hear his own voice. Every inch of his body radiated pain, and it seemed to go on forever. Whatever was covering his skin was changing, molding itself to him…

"You have to do something!" Sarah cried, watching Victor scream with worry in her eyes. "He's in pain!"

Silas kept his eyes on his son. "The pain will subside, Sarah. As soon as the Promethium finishes replacing the damaged tissue."

"That might not be all it does, Stone," Morrow added, watching the transformation as well. "The technology in this room is experimental. His ultimate transformation is unforeseeable."

Stone looked at him with a strange look in his eyes. "Thomas… I- I had no choice…"

Morrow turned to Hank, who was seated next to him. "Pym, what do you think? Pym?"

Hank was staring at Victor's transformation with rapt attention. He continued to watch as the Promethium finished binding itself to Victor, becoming more smooth and sleek as it finished its process. Even Morrow's voice and Sarah's warning about "more monsters" did nothing to bring him out of his trance.

"Amazing," he muttered. Morrow gave him a bewildered look.

Victor stumbled about, feebling calling out to his father. "I can't see. I can't feel my arms, my legs, my hands…"

He looked down at his hand, and gasped when tendrils spouted from it and connected itself to a nearby console. A voice began to fill his head.

_(Unassimilated data detected.)_

_(Download Initiated.)_

_(Download Complete.)_

Victor grunted as information began to fill his head. Names, places, schematics, and data.

_(Tech Files: Responsometer/ Doctor Magnus, William.)_

_(A-Maze Operating System/ Professor Ivo, Anthony.)_

_(B-Maze Operating System/ CLASSIFIED.)_

_(White Dwarf Stabilizer/ Graduate Choi, Ryan.)_

_(Visualizing Data.)_

_(Recalibrating Memory.)_

"Don't fight the programming son." Silas cautiously stepped towards his child. "I've set the cybernetic operating system to auto command until we transfer control to you safely-"

A thunderous boom echoed throughout the Red Room as the previously locked doors burst open, and two parademons scrambled on their legs towards Victor. He screamed as his arm _made _a noise, and began to reconfigure itself.

_(Offense Mode.)_

_(Reconfiguring.)_

Victor's left hand formed into some sort of weird object- his hand disappeared, and where his hand used to be was something that could only be described as a flower before blooming. Then, the thing opened…

_(White Noise Cannon enabled.)_

Victor gritted his teeth as his arm opened, and a pure blast of noise and force shot out, sending the two parademons through the roof.

He panted as his arm reformed into its normal, metallic self. "My- my arm…" he turned to a broken console, its gigantic screen acting like a mirror. He could see his form now- no longer the normal human body he had for the first eighteen years of his life- now it looked like something out of an old science-fiction movie. But he could feel the metal. This wasn't a movie or a dream- it was real life.

His handsome face was partially covered by a large metal headpiece, which wrapped itself around his left eye and the other parts of his head, leaving his mouth, nose and right eye out in the open- what seemed to be the only reminder of his humanity. "My- my face…" he whimpered.

He turned and saw four other people- his father and three other scientists.

_(Charles, Sarah, intern. Doctor Morrow, Thomas. Doctor Pym, Hank. Doctor Stone, Silas.)_

Victor didn't care about what the voice said, and he instead looked at his dad, hoping for some sort of answer. "I hear a buzzing in my ears. It won't stop."

Silas didn't respond, and Victor tried again.

"Dad, what's wrong with me?!" he cried. "What am I?"

"You're my son, Victor," Silas whispered, trying to calm Victor. "You were going to die. This was my only hope to save you." He put his hands onto Victor's trembling ones.

Victor lowered his head, his face scrunched up in anger and fear, but most of all, shock. "You… you did this to me?"

"I… I couldn't let you go," Silas stated simply.

Victor batted Silas' hands away and glared at him. "You… you did this to me! YOU DID THIS TO ME!" With a tremendous leap, he jumped out of the hole he had created moments before, Silas hopelessly trying to call him back.

"Victor, wait!" he cried.

His son no longer visible, Silas looked at the floor.

"Please, Victor. Please come back."

* * *

_Metropolis_

"So, who are you?" Superman asked the newest person in their little "group", if you could call it that. The giant gold-and-green tower still rose ominously in the ocean, and demons continued to circle it.

"They call him 'Aquaman'," Batman replied, crossing his arms.

"Aquaman? I thought that was a sketch on Conan O' Brien," Green Lantern replied.

"Isn't Aquaman a children's fantasy novel or something?" Iron Man added. "Or was it a movie?"

Aquaman held his trident steadily. "I'm _very _real."

Green Lantern scoffed. "First Batman's real, now this?"

Flash glared at Green Lantern. "Be polite," he whispered.

Wonder Woman smiled at the newcomer. "Greetings, Aquaman. What a day for a fight!"

Thor merely nodded. Aquaman bent down and lifted a dead parademon by its head. "I found this creature in the ocean," he said looking over its gear. "It set off some kind of device that tore a hole through the ocean. Dozens of these demons poured out." He turned to look at them. "You've obviously all gathered together to fight them."

Flash scratched the back of his head. "I guess we… kinda did?"

Aquaman stood up and looked at them. "But I don't see a leader."

"Then you're not looking at me."

Green Lantern turned to Batman and shook his head in disgust. "Oh, give me a break."

Aquaman turned to stare at the tower in the distance. "I've got some experience with leadership. I'm the rightful heir to the throne of Atlantis. I'm their king."

"And I'm the goddamn mayor of Emerald City," Green Lantern retorted.

"The demons are taking people to _that _tower," Aquaman said, ignoring Hal. He gestured with his trident. "We need to get in and figure out why. But first we need to thin out the herds- distract them." He turned back to the group. "We need a lure." He looked at Green Lantern specifically.

"Why are you looking at _me_?" Green Lantern snapped.

"You're shiny. Get as bright as you can and lead them away from the tower," Aquaman replied simply.

Hal got into Aquaman's face and jabbed a finger into his chest. "Hey, I'm not a fish, Aquafresh," he growled. "Don't order me around like one."

Flash zoomed between the two, attempting to break up the impending fight. "You are pretty shiny," he reasoned to Lantern.

Lantern glared at his friend. "Iron Man's pretty shiny too! Why don't you ask him?" he shook his head. "You're supposed to be on my side anyways, Flash. We've already got _one _wannabe super-human trying to boss us around," (he flashed a bright green arrow in Batman's direction.) "We don't need another."

"Quit it with the attitude, Lantern," Flash said sternly. "It's the end of the world."

"Oh, don't overreact."

Lantern pointed a finger at Aquaman again. "Superman doesn't say much, but he can juggle trucks and fly. The Flash is the fastest man alive. Wonder Woman can slice through an army. Iron Man's got missiles stuffed in every inch of that armor of his and Thor's got a big old hammer and lightning to boot. Hell, I bet the doctor," he jutted his thumb at the napping Bruce Banner, "has some sort of big superpower. I can do anything with this ring. So really," he got up in Aquaman's face again. "What can you do that _we _can't?"

As if on cue, hundreds of parademons made their way to the group, their screams echoing throughout the bay. Aquaman raced to the edge of the dock, and put his free hand to his temple, his eyes glowing blue like the sea.

"Was that supposed to do something?" Green Lantern said.

"Wait for it," Aquaman replied.

Aquaman lifted his hand, and four Great White Sharks jumped out of the harbor, grabbing onto any nearby parademon with their teeth, dragging the monsters into the murky depths.

Another parademon zoomed towards the Atlantean. With practiced ease, the sea warrior pivoted and shoved his trident right through its chin, shredding the creature's flesh like paper. He ripped his trident out and turned to Lantern as the body collapsed.

"Never mind," Lantern said quietly.

More parademons flew towards their position and the group sprang into action. Superman leaped into the air and threw his fists into the nearest parademons, sending them flying into the ocean, where they were devoured by the sharks. Wonder Woman swung her blade left and right, cutting the limbs and heads of those unfortunate to face her. Thor leapt into the air and raised his hammer to the sky.

"HIYAH!" he roared, and with a clap of thunder, lightning came down from the heavens and struck several demons, burning them to a crisp. He swung his hammer and slammed it down on another one, smashing its head into bits and pieces of flesh, metal and blood.

"See? What did I tell you?" Iron Man said to Green Lantern. As the armored warrior fired repulsor beam after repulsor beam, Green Lantern summoned a variety of objects to bludgeon the demons.

"Oh shut up you hunk of metal," Green Lantern cried out over the fighting.

Batman leaped over the two and threw several batarangs, which embedded themselves in a group of parademons before exploding. "Are you two going to argue all day?" he asked, firing his grapnel gun at another demon.

"I-" Green Lantern began, but decided not to say anything else. He formed a ball of green energy around Banner, before throwing the sleeping doctor back in the cage he had been in before and slamming the door shut.

Flash made his way towards Aquaman, punching and pushing whatever demons were in his way.

"You really just talked to those sharks?" he punched a parademon into the air.

"I told them what to eat." The Atlantean thrusted his trident into a pair of demons before kicking them off of the weapon.

"Well, I hope they're still hungry." Flash swung his hand like he was chopping the air and nearly cut off a parademon's head. "There're plenty more where those came from-"

He was cut off as the sound of helicopter rotors filled the air, heavy chopping noises disrupting the sounds of fighting. Then, bullets made their way towards the group, along with the sound of machine gun fire.

"TAKE COVER!" Green Lantern yelled, quickly forming a green shield around the superhumans. Iron Man looked at the approaching choppers and let his helm do the analysis.

"JARVIS, who's firing at us?" he asked.

"_It appears to be… all branches of the U.S military. It seems they have gathered to attack everything 'non-human' under strict orders."_

"Anyone we know?" Tony grunted as a parademon punched him in the head. He turned around and punched it right back. He hoped that Rhodey was in there so he could at least talk some sense to whoever was in command of this operation. After all, he was one of the few people who knew his real identity.

"_No, sir. Colonel James Rhodes is not on any of these helicopters." _Tony sighed. "_However, Captain Steve Trevor is onboard." _

"And he is?"

"_He is Wonder Woman's official liaison, sir. One could call him her link to the modern world." _

"Hmm. Well, that's better than nothing," Tony replied as he watched the helicopters continue to fire their miniguns at the positions. Batman and Flash huddled under Green Lantern's shield, but the others didn't seem as affected. "JARVIS, activate voice modulator."

"_Of course, sir."_

With the modulator on, Tony activated a series of protocols in his armor. Quickly, he narrowed down Trevor's location among the helicopters and then accessed the channel that he was on. Listening in, he could hear Trevor yelling at someone.

"_-old your fire! Wonder Woman and Iron Man are down there!" _Trevor barked.

"_We read in your report she could handle an M230 chain gun, Captain Trevor," _a female voice shouted back.

"_She can handle it, but-" _

"Hate to interrupt your conversation, Captain Trevor, but could you please stop firing at me and my 'compatriots'?" Tony suddenly cut in.

"_Who is this? How'd you get on this channel?!" _another gruff voice barked.

"_I-Iron Man? Is that you?" _he heard Trevor ask.

"Yes it is. Now could you please stop firing at us? We've got a couple people down here who aren't exactly bulletproof, and if you keep angering the ones who are well, they could end up trashing those nice helicopters of yours."

"_Listen you tin can," _the gruff voice retorted, "_We're not taking orders from some super freak and his band of crazies!"_

"This 'band of crazies' has been trying to help get these civilians to safety," Tony snapped back. "Instead of firing at us, why don't you try and get those people out of the way so that we can do our jobs?"

"_Why you-!"_

"If you want to keep firing at us, then fine, go ahead. You're not gonna like it when the guy with the hammer or Superman get tired and start sending you guys into the ocean. Or how about this? You guys are geared up with Stark tech. If I tell him about this little incident here (I am his bodyguard after all) he could probably rescind the contract, and you guys would lose all your nice, shiny toys." he paused for effect. "You wouldn't like that now, would you?"

He could hear the sounds of the gruff man leaving the microphone and swearing in the background. Trevor took over then. "_Alright, Iron Man, you made your point. We'll stop firing and help those civilians you guys rescued. Right, sergeant?"_

The gruff man, presumably the sergeant, merely grunted in response, and a couple seconds later the helicopters stopped firing on their position, before descending towards the pockets of civilian survivors. Green Lantern's shield dissipated, and the others rose from their defensive positions.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, what should we do?" Tony asked the rest.

Flash looked at him in curiosity. "What did you do?"

Tony smiled underneath his helmet. "Just had a little heart-to-heart with the brass. Oh, and Wonder Woman, Steve Trevor says hi."

Wonder Woman perked up at that, and while the others went to ask Iron Man some questions, Batman hung back, his eyes narrowing again.

* * *

Victor leapt forward, smashing into the concrete below. It had been a cool night, but he couldn't even feel anything what with the… armor on him. A part of him was amazed at the power he now displayed, while another was horrified at what his father had done to him.

His father… without even asking his son, he had grafted metal onto him and turned him into… _THIS? _

_But he just wanted to save you! _A voice inside him said. "_That's what mattered the most in that moment!"_

Victor was seriously considering arguing with himself when he heard a scream.

"HELP!" a woman cried, and Victor whirled around to see a pair of the things from earlier approaching a woman, who backed herself up against the brick wall of an apartment.

Instinct and adrenaline surged through Victor and he rushed forward, thrusting his hand out to choke one of the creatures. "Leave… her alone!" he shouted.

Tendrils came out of his hand once more and descended down the creature's throat. It was a strange feeling, akin to sticking a finger down someone's throat. It finally touched something smooth, and the voice activated again.

_(Download initiated.)_

_(Translating.)_

_(Command: Harvest organic materials.)_

_(Command: Process organic materials.)_

Flashes appeared in Victor's mind once more. The bright hell-like land that he had seen earlier appeared again, and he could see the creatures- parademons- being made. Creatures of all different species were huddled down an assembly line, where strange machines hooked up golden tubes to the creatures, infecting and assimilating with some sort of technology.

_(Command: Repurpose organic materials.)_

The demons burst forth anew, their previously purple skin now the green that he had seen before. They were now covered in golden armor, and when the voice spoke again it send shivers down his spine.

_(Command: For Darkseid.)_

Victor crumpled down as a strange "pinging" sound filled his ears again.

_(Download complete.)_

"Where's that sound coming from?!" he roared in agony. "Where…"

_(Locating signal source…)_

_(Transporting.)_

With a massive boom, a wormhole opened behind Victor, sending the surrounding demons back and engulfing him before disappearing, leaving the woman bewildered.

She stared at the open space before uttering the only words that entered her mind:

"What the fu-"

* * *

"At least they're not firing at us," Flash commented, watching the helicopters touch down nearby. Soldiers ran out, creating a perimeter and ferrying survivors into a transport helicopter. They immediately began firing as more parademons flew towards their position.

"We need to give those men time to leave!" Thor cried out. Swinging his hammer, he flew towards the troops and the parademons.

"I agree," Wonder Woman said. "Green Lantern, you should help get those men become airborne while we provide support."

"I'll take on the entire group by myself and buy you time to get them to safety," Green Lantern replied. "Not to be a good guy like Flash, but to impress you guys." he paused. "Actually, a lot of what I do is to impress people."

"What?" Batman said.

"No, I… what did I say-?"

"You were touching my lasso," Wonder Woman stated. Indeed, Lantern's hand was on the coiled golden rope at her hip, which glowed slightly.

"So what?" he replied.

"It makes you tell the truth," Diana answered.

Hal quickly withdrew his hand, causing Batman to chuckle behind him. Iron Man looked at Hal as well, but the Lantern couldn't decipher the meaning behind that helmet of his.

"Really, Batman?" he asked as they rushed forward to help the troops. "Laughing at a time like this?"

Iron Man fired several micro-missiles again, which blew up a majority of the parademons. Flash rushed around and sent his fists into each one, sending them flying up into the air. The airborne parademons were either slashed into pieces by Wonder Woman, punched by Superman or struck by a lightning bolt, courtesy of Thor. Aquaman stabbed a couple but turned when he heard yelling. Doctor Banner was getting dragged out of the cage he had been by several parademons, who began attacking him.

"Doctor Banner-!" Aquaman began. He was about to rush forward when the parademons, who had been piling up upon Banner, were suddenly thrown off. In Banner's place was a giant green man, wearing nothing but pants. The green man beat his chest and roared.

"HULK SMASH PUNY MONSTERS!"

"Glad you could join us," Iron Man said. "Wanna help us smash some parademons?"

Hulk grinned, but before he could leap and do any aforementioned smashing a portal opened above him, sending an armored man into Hulk's arms. The big green dropped the man onto the ground below, and some of the others rushed to see him.

"Who is this guy?" Lantern asked, pointing his ring at the newcomer- an African American man in some sort of high-tech armor.

"Don't fire, Lantern," Batman said. "He's not one of them."

"What are you talking about?"

Aquaman looked over the armored man and frowned. "It's just a kid. A kid wearing armor," he said to the rest.

"That's not armor, Aquaman," Wonder Woman replied. "It's him." she rushed to the child's side. He was beginning to gain consciousness, and he coughed.

"Who are you?" she asked. "Do you need help?"

"They…" the kid replied. "They go world to world…" he groaned again. "_**He's**_ coming… right here…"

Batman looked down at the kid. "Who is?"

Superman, Thor and Flash finished off the rest of the incoming parademons and shielded their eyes when a sudden flash of light appeared. Iron Man's sensors went wild, alarms beeping in his ears as he hovered off the ground.

"_Sir, something is coming!" _

"Who, JARVIS? Who?!"

The others also shielded their eyes as the light began to dissipate. Thor's eyes widened as he saw a figure emerge from the portal. Someone he had heard his father tell stories of many times in his youth…

"No… Loki, what have you done?!" Thor whispered.

The figure that had emerged was huge. He towered over the members, and his face resembled rock, with many cracks in them. A strange helmet covered most of his scalp. He wore a blue chest-plate, blue gloves and boots as well as a black under-suit. On his chest was a symbol that none of the group could decipher. And his eyes… they glowed crimson red, and they radiated hate and evil, the likes of which the gathered heroes had never felt before.

"I'm guessing that's the bad guy," Lantern said.

"Good guess," Batman replied.

The red-eyed man lifted his hands as if he were about to lead a church in prayer, and the ground beneath the heroes erupted, sending them flying. As they landed upon the cracked asphalt, the figure's voice boomed.

"**I am DARKSEID," **the voice proclaimed, and that was all that needed to be said.

**To be continued...**

_**Next time, the confrontation between our heroes and Darkseid escalates!**_

_**Until then,**_

_**Phant0mZ0ne**_


	5. Origins V

Barry dragged himself out of the rubble, his head spinning. One second he was on his feet, ready to fight, the next the "Darkseid" guy had lifted his hands and thrown him around like it was nothing. His eyes focused and he nearly choked on what he saw.

Darkseid was still here. The blue-garbed leader was standing in a crater, his hands clasped behind his back as if he were enjoying the afternoon air. His stony visage betrayed no emotion.

His eyes widened as he heard the sound of fighter jet engines, and sure enough, two jets flew overhead, heading straight towards Darkseid.

The being barely lifted his head before two bright red lasers shot out of them. Barry had seen lasers being fired from eyes- Superman existed after all- but he had never seen them like this.

The beams zig-zagged their way towards the jets, following them like heat-seeking missiles. One of them hit a jet, blowing it up and sending its remains into the other jet. The surviving pilot had no time to react as the second beam hit his own aircraft, turning it into bright flames and molten metal.

"NO!" Barry cried. He ran forward, his hand outstretched. "STOP IT!"

Darkseid turned to face him, his eyes glowing red. The sheer radiance that the big man was giving off froze the Flash in place. "Uh… guys?" he called out weakly.

Aquaman and Superman were collapsed in front of him, but he couldn't tell where the others were. Flash kept his eyes focused on the man in front of him.

"I'm not that good at making chit-chat, guys," Barry called out again.

He flinched as a hand shot out in front of him. From the rubble came Superman, who dusted the debris off of his suit.

"I'm here, Flash," he replied. "but not to talk." His fist tightened as the two heroes stared at Darkseid.

The being's red eyes glowed again, and lasers shot out once more towards the two, zig-zagging in their path.

"What're you-?!" Superman began as Flash grabbed his shoulder and ran down the street. Barry pushed Superman forward and yelled out, "MOVE IT!"

The two sped down the avenue and came across an intersection. Flash moved towards the right while Superman flew further into the sky. However, the beams of death continued to follow them, even seperating to follow the two.

"They split up?!" Flash cried.

"They're locked onto us, Flash!" Superman replied. He turned around as he flew, seeing the beam getting closer, but the speedster in question was still running on the ground.

Getting the message, The Man of Steel continued to fly while the fastest man alive zoomed down the street.

Flash zig-zagged throughout the city, and yet he could still feel the laser closing in on him. He put his head down and pushed himself to keep running. _You're moving fast, Barry," _he thought. _So THINK fast!_

Up ahead, he could see several SWAT officers firing their sidearms at approaching parademons. He smirked as an idea popped into his head.

_Just gotta find a different target, and… _

Flash began to vibrate, and as he approached the parademon the beam followed dutifully.

"...vibrate through it!" Flash's vibration allowed him to phase through the demon, emerging out of the creature as if he had walked through a door and not a physical being. The beam came soon enough, and detonated like a bomb as it hit the parademon, blowing it and several other demons nearby into dust.

Barry collapsed onto the ground, his lungs out of air and his heart pounding like a train pumping down its tracks. The officers approached him, levelling their handguns at his shaky form.

"Who are you?!" an older Hispanic officer demanded. "Stay back!"

"I'm… I'm not a threat to you," Flash wheezed. "Just- just give me a second." He grabbed onto a nearby lightpost to steady himself. "Whew. Never had to catch my breath before."

His eyes widened as he heard a familiar voice scream in agony.

"Superman?"

He turned, and there in the sky was Superman, falling towards the ground. It appeared that he had been hit by the beam. Before Flash could do anything, a parademon swooped towards his body, taking the Kryptonian with him.

"Dammit!" Flash cried. He couldn't fly- the best he could do was head back to the others and tell them what had happened.

* * *

Darkseid looked down as a man approached him- Loki, the one who had sworn loyalty to him in exchange for power.

"My lord," Loki said, kneeling before the stony being. "Within the day you shall have control of Midgard. As you can see," he gestured to the fallen costumed warriors, "These 'heroes' have fallen before your might."

"**One still stands." **Darkseid boomed.

Loki whirled around, and saw Thor standing tall. His hammer was gripped tightly in his hand, and his face was contorted in a mixture of rage and determination.

"Loki," the God of Thunder growled, "how DARE YOU?!"

"How dare I?" Loki asked mockingly.

"Father fought to Hel and back to push this monster out of the Nine Realms-"

"Your father," Loki corrected. "You know of my true parentage, do you not?"

Thor looked at the ground. "We were raised together as brothers, Loki. We played together, fought together…" He raised his head and glared at his sibling. "But this... to summon the very epitome of evil itself," he raised his hammer and pointed it. "You have gone too far!"

"Too far? Too far?!" Loki snapped back. "Like you or 'Father' know anything about me!" He paced back and forth. "I lived in your shadow for ages- it would be a miracle if you knew what I was truly capable of!"

"So you wish to conquer this world, then what?!" Thor retorted. "You hand it over to Darkseid and he will turn it into a realm of flame, just like Apokolips. You would be lucky if you even have a small village to rule."

Loki looked like he was about to retort, but before he could say anything, Darkseid stepped forward. "**Enough."**

The warlord's eyes turned to Thor, his purely evil gaze boring into the god's steely one.

"**So, the son of Odin wishes to fight me?" **he said, his voice thundering into everyone present. "**Go ahead then, child. Strike me."**

Thor's eyes became bright white, as if a storm itself resided in his eyes. "VERY WELL!" he cried, lifting his hammer into the air.

Storm clouds grew overhead, as thunder boomed. With a mighty shout, Thor directed his hammer at Darkseid, and lightning answered. Several bolts came down from the skies, hitting the massive man with all their power.

At that point ,the others had all arisen, and so watched as bright lightning hit Darkseid again and again. The deafening sound of their impacts and the bright flashes they emitted stunned the group.

After what seemed like forever, the lightning stopped. Dust and smoke obscured the ruler of Apokolips' position.

"Didja get him?" Lantern asked, breaking up the silence.

"I am not sure-" Thor began, before twin red beams came from the smoke and hit him, sending the God of Thunder into a nearby apartment. The entire building crumbled and then exploded, buffeting the other heroes.

Flash zoomed onto the scene. "Those things took Superman!" he cried. He stopped as he saw where the heroes were looking, and turned to the remains of the apartment. "What just happened?"

"Never mind that, why did they take him?" Batman replied.

Aquaman turned to face Darkseid. "Let's ask him," he answered.

Lantern's ring glowed as he got into a stance. "Fine by me."

Iron Man stretched his arms out, and several cannons and mini-launchers popped out of compartments on his arms and back. "I've been meaning to test out these babies. Who knows, if lightning can't work on him, maybe good ol' firepower will."

Wonder Woman looked at him as she readied her sword. "How are you able to carry so many weapons?"

"Just a little bit of science, gorgeous."

Victor looked around at the group, his gaze shifting between them and Darkseid. "I'm not with you guys," he said.

Batman's eyes narrowed as he pulled out several batarangs. "I don't think _he's _going to make that distinction."

"So what do we do?" Victor asked.

"Just stay back and-" Lantern began, before being shoved aside by the Hulk, who looked absolutely furious. "Hey!" Hal snapped, waving his hands up.

"ROCK MAN MAY HAVE BEAT HAMMER, BUT ROCK MAN CAN'T BEAT HULK!" he roared. With a mighty leap, the Hulk landed in front of Darkseid before throwing a tremendous haymaker which smashed into the lord's jaw. Darkseid actually recoiled from the blow and staggered backwards.

"What?!" Loki cried out from nearby.

Tony smirked under his helmet. "Way to go, big guy!" he called out.

"**Interesting,"** Darkseid commented. He was answered by a strike to the head.

Hulk threw another punch, and then another, gradually pushing Darkseid back. Finally, Darkseid kneeled slightly, and Hulk raised his arms overhead to smash him into the ground. Before he could do so, Darkseid looked up and spoke, his eyes glowing.

"**Stop."**

Darkseid lunged forward, punching Hulk in the face. As the green man groaned, Darkseid backhanded him, the sheer force of the blow sending Hulk into several parked cars. The cars exploded, throwing Hulk into the street.

Darkseid was about to turn towards the group when another bolt of lightning struck him, sending him backwards once more. Thor flew towards Darkseid, fury on his face.

"THIS ENDS _TODAY_, DARKSEID!" Thor roared, hurling his hammer at Darkseid's head.

The being managed to sidestep, narrowly avoiding the incoming weapon before Thor's fists struck his face. Darkseid shrugged off the blow and grabbed Thor's neck, his massive hand gripping the god's throat.

Thor attempted to reach his hand out to call his hammer, but before he could do anything Green Lantern leapt forward, his ring hand drawn back as it formed a mass of chains with spiked balls on their ends.

"I've got this, Thor!" he cried out, smashing the construct onto Darkseid's head. He barely reacted from the blow before his hands began to glow red hot.

The being threw Thor onto the ground and then smashed his glowing fists into the concrete, throwing the group back. Lantern collided with the ground especially hard and got up shakily, his mouth leaking blood. "That all you got?" he muttered, before lunging forward. "I've got a helluva lot _more._"

Iron Man steadied himself as he watched Lantern fly towards Darkseid again. "What are you doing?!" he cried out. "We need to-"

"_We _don't need to do anything!" Hal retorted. "I'll just- NFFFGH!" Darkseid threw a single punch into Hal's abdomen, sending the emerald warrior flying into the group. The sheer power of the punch erupted the ground in his path as well.

"I'm not through with you yet," Jordan muttered. His vision was hazy, and he couldn't see Darkseid quickly approaching his position. He got up once more, "I'm not-?!"

Darkseid wrapped his hand around Hal's entire arm, lifting him up. "Hey!" Hal yelled out.

With a simple downward thrust, the god of Apokalips shattered Hal's arm.

As the Lantern screamed in pain, Darkseid tossed his body into the ground once more before walking towards Loki.

"Where… where are you going?" Hal whispered hoarsely. He attempted to get up before falling back down. Clutching his broken limb, he leaned against the remains of a brick wall, groaning softly.

"Lantern."

The emerald warrior looked up to see Batman standing in front of him. He looked a lot better than Hal, but his suit had definitely seen better days. Various tears in the armor and cape made him wonder how it still held together. "He levelled the rest of the block," Batman said. "We need to stop and regroup with the others."

"Out of my way, Batman." Hal snarled in response. "I can handle this just fine. I don't need anyone else, and I _certainly_ don't need you."

Gotham's vigilante just stared at him with those white eyes of his. "Your arm is _broken_, you idiot."

Gritting his teeth, Hal formed a makeshift cast around his broken arm. "Ring's still working. That's all that matters." He got up, and started walking forward before being stopped by Batman. "Now, get out of my way!"

"You're going to _DIE_!" Batman barked.

"THEN I **DIE**!" Hal roared back.

Batman pursed his lips, looking at Hal in the eye. "What are you trying to prove?" he asked.

"I'm not trying to prove anything!"

The caped crusader continued to prod. "Then _who _are you trying to live up to?"

"Don't act like you know me. You don't." Hal's voice was getting louder.

"I bet no one really does," Batman replied.

"Is _that _your superpower? Psychoanalysis?"

"We're just somewhat… alike."

Hal got up right in Batman's face. "You and I are nothing alike," he growled.

Batman's eyes narrowed. "We're alongside an alien, an Amazon, a god, a human lightning bolt, a walking armory, a cyborg, a Hulk and an Aquaman," his eyes narrowed. "As far as I can tell, you and I are the only normal people here."

Hal's eyes widened slightly in disbelief. "Wearing a batsuit is _normal?_"

"No, it's insane." Batman reached up to his cowl and began taking it off.

"So you're taking it off _now?_"

Batman ignored his comment and took his cowl off, revealing a rather handsome face with bright blue eyes and dark hair, as well as a strong jawline. After the initial shock wore off, Hal merely stared at the unmasked Batman in front of him.

"My name is Bruce Wayne," Batman said.

"Bruce Wayne?" Hal repeated. The Green Lantern gave him a strange look. "Who the hell is Bruce Wayne?"

Bruce began fiddling with his gauntlets, taking off the sharp fins and storing them somewhere on his belt. "When I was eight, my parents were murdered in front of my eyes." He began unfastening his cape, "I've spent my entire life training to fight the same criminals who took their lives."

As he folded the cape into a smaller shape, he looked Hal in the eye, "But this is different. It isn't about me or you."

"Why are you telling me this, exactly?" Hal asked, confused as to where the lecture was going.

Bruce took off the large bat-symbol on his chest (Hal didn't even know it could _be _removed) and stared him in the eye. "Because this is bigger than both of us."

As Batman continued storing parts of his suit on his belt (seriously, how DID they fit in there?) a boom resonated throughout the area. They both looked in the direction of the sound to see Thor come forth once again, smashing his hammer into Darkseid's face repeatedly.

Bruce turned to Hal. "Thor's powerful, but he won't win this by himself even with all that lightning. We need to work together, as a team. Get the others and go regroup with him."

"How, exactly?"

"You're louder than everyone there. If you've got something to say, they'll listen to you." He paused. "At least try to sound smart when you do."

Bruce suddenly began running off, in the opposite direction of Lantern. "Keep them alive and keep Darkseid busy until I get back."

"Get back?! From _where?!_" Hal cried out. "Where the hell are you going?!"

"Even with Thor and Hulk, we won't be able to end this," Batman shouted back. "I'm going to get Superman."

Hal watched as Bruce lifted his arms to the sky, and as if on cue a parademon swooped down, grabbing the vigilante and taking him up into the sky.

"Bruce Wayne, huh?" Hal muttered. "Moron's crazier than I am." His ring was able to detect the locations of his fellow heroes and with a few quick blasts of his ring and a couple constructs, he was able to get his allies out of the rubble.

"Nice going there, Jolly Green," Iron Man commented, dusting himself off with his armored hand. "I think you messed up my paint job."

"Oh shut up," Hal retorted. "We've got bigger things to worry about."

"Yeah, no kidding."

Victor stared at Hal, his eye analyzing the emerald warrior's arm. "Your arm's broken in two places," he stated.

"That's better than three, kid."

Banner looked at Hal. It seemed that the previous fights had caused him to shift back to normal. The slightly haggard doctor looked up at him expectantly. "What exactly are we waiting for?"

"Well, uh, we need to stop going up to the bat and start, uh, playing football instead."

"I apologize, but I don't know your games," Diana replied, confusion gracing her features.

"What are you talking about, Lantern?" Flash asked, also confused about what exactly his friend was saying.

"Those beams that Darkseid shoots out of his eyes _follow _their target, right?" Hal said to the group. "So, if we take them out of the equation…"

"It's settled then!" Diana said, grinning. "We blind him!"

Hal smirked. "As soon as you get the chance to, Princess." He pointed to Darkseid and Thor, who were still fighting. Thor was suddenly struck and thrown into another building. Darkseid fired his beams at the building once more. As it turned into nothing but rubble he turned and started walking again. Loki was nowhere to be seen.

Hal continued. "He's heading into the city for some reason. We need to get Thor back with us and follow him. We need to stay out of sight."

"And?" Aquaman asked.

"And when we get into striking distance Aquafresh, I'll be the lure you want me to be. I'll turn on the fireworks and get his attention." He turned to Iron Man. "That good enough for you, tinhead?"

Iron Man shrugged. "It's so simple it just might work."

Hal nodded and turned to Banner. "We're gonna need the Hulk to hold him down- think you're up to that?"

Banner nodded. "As long as we end this, right?"

"That's the plan, doctor." Hal turned to Victor, who was staring at the sky. He snapped his fingers. "Kid?"

Victor startled and looked at him. "Yeah?"

"You good?"

"I…" Victor stared at his hands. "I don't know what happened to me."

Hal nodded in understanding. "You want to stay here?"

Victor looked up, determination radiating from his gaze. "Hell, no."

"All right then…"

"WE GOT THIS!" Lantern cried, using his ring to carry the non-flying heroes. Iron Man, on the other hand, flew overhead.

Tony zoomed off towards the building where he had seen Thor crash. Killing the thrusters, he descended towards the rubble. Before he could start pushing the debris away however, a muscular hand shot out of it, allowing Thor himself to climb out. His armor was grimy and there were some slight cuts on his face and arms, but otherwise he looked fine, if not more stoic than ever.

"Good to see you're up and about," Tony said, clapping the god's shoulder. "You need me to fill you in on our plan?"

Thor shook his head. "No need. I heard everything you people said."

With that, the two flew off into the sky to join their comrades.

"He heard everything?" Lantern muttered, dumbfounded. "Is there anything he can't do?"

"Nevermind that, 'we got this!'?" Flash whispered. "That's your big battle cry?"

"Stop worrying about our battle cry and stick to the plan," Lantern snapped back.

"And since when do _you _come up with a plan?"

"Stay focused, Barry," Lantern replied, his voice filled with a determination that Flash hadn't heard in a long time. "This is the _end of the world, _remember? This isn't about _me_."

Barry did a double-take at that. "This ISN'T about you?" he chuckled humorlessly. "I'd say hell had frozen over if it wasn't right in front of us."

* * *

Bruce watched as the parademon neared the tower. As it approached the landing he acted quickly, swinging his body onto its back before driving his fists into the creature. The parademon had no time to react as Bruce forced it headfirst into a wall in the tower, crushing its skull.

Bruce looked into the tower's interior. It looked like a cave with its multiple tunnels, except for the fact that there was some bright yellow light where one tunnel opening was. He could feel a faint vibration coming from the light, and it seemed to pulse and glow with energy.

_What is this…? _

Bruce approached it, feeling the strange warmth emanating from the light. "Another doorway?" he muttered as he cautiously touched the light.

Suddenly, the light exploded outwards and when Bruce opened his eyes again, he found himself no longer in the tower.

What replaced it could only be described as hell.

The skies were as red as blood. Pits of molten lava churned below as smoke extended itself into the sky. Parademons flew overhead, their screeches echoing throughout the air. Massive structures towered above him, made out of strange stones and supported by mysterious metals.

Bruce's frown grew as he watched what lay before him.

"This wasn't part of the plan."

* * *

**To be concluded…**

_**You may have noticed that I changed the name of this story from "The Ultimates" to "Justice Legion". I originally wanted to name this team the Ultimates (I would've named them the Vanguard but that was already taken) as a reference to the same team from Marvel, but I decided to change it to Justice Legion. Why? Calling members of the team "Legionnaires" sounds cooler than "a member of the Ultimates".**_

_**One more chapter to go before the Origin arc ends.**_

_**Chapter updates after the next one may be sporadic depending on what happens in the next few months, though I'll try to put out a few more before 2020.**_

_**Next time, Bruce searches for Superman, while the others battle Darkseid! And at the end of it all, a new era will begin!**_

_**-Phant0mZ0ne**_


	6. Origins Finale

**_A slightly larger chapter for the finale of the Origin arc, plus some epilogue content._**

**_The Justice League and Avengers characters are owned by D.C and Marvel Comics respectively._**

_I thought there was going to be no tomorrow._

David Graves tightly grasped the hands of his son Jason and daughter Emma as he made his way through the war-zone of a city. His wife Jennifer was not too far behind him. The Graves family were covered in soot and dust. He could hear Emma whimpering behind him. His son said nothing, attempting to put on a brave face.

"David, where are we going?!" he heard Jennifer cry.

"Just stay close," David replied in his bravest voice. "Everyone stay-"

There had been other people besides him making their way through the city ruins. All of them trying to escape that… thing that had come. For a brief second, he could see them running, before a bright red light hit them- by God, he could see their skeletons in the light- and when it was gone, they were gone too.

The force of the blast sent the family toppling into the ground.

_I thought my family was going to die._

"I'm scared, Daddy," little Emma squeaked.

David hurriedly grabbed his family and brought them closer, a small part of him believing that if they huddled together that the thing wouldn't see them or he'd ignore them. "I know you are, sweetheart, but you're safe with me. You'll always be safe with me," he soothed. He rubbed her hair in an attempt to calm her down. "Just close your eyes and keep them closed."

"David…" Jennifer said in a tone he hadn't heard in a long time, one filled with fear and despair. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the thing from before turning its head towards them- oh God, it could see them.

"Hush," David said, grabbing his wife and pulling her closer to their children. "As long as we're together…" he choked. Tears began to fall down his face. He'd never see his children grow up, he'd never feel the taste of his wife's lips on his, or feel anything ever again… "As long as we're together, we'll be alright."

Even with his eyes closed, he could feel some sort of warmth and light on his face. Cautiously opening his eyes, he saw what appeared to be green fireworks in the sky.

The thing turned its head too, looking at the strange lights in the sky.

_Then I saw them. _

_And I saw tomorrow._

"MADE YOU LOOK!" Green Lantern cried, ramming a construct into Darkseid's face.

As the god stumbled back, Aquaman threw his trident into the the strange emblem on Darkseid's chest before Thor came forward and struck the weapon with his hammer as if he were hammering a nail, causing the being to bellow in pain. Aquaman ripped out the trident and moved out of the god's swipes.

To Darkseid's right, Victor fired his sonic cannon, the soundwaves disorienting the god. Flash zoomed forward, a pole in his hands. He ran around, smashing them into Darkseid's legs and bringing the god down on his knees.

Hulk threw a punch into Darkseid's face, stunning him and allowing Wonder Woman to get her lasso around Darkseid's neck. She leapt off of Darkseid's back and onto the ground before pulling, dragging the god back.

Before Darkseid could fire his beams, Iron Man fired a missile at the god, which upon impact, splattered the god's eyes with a sticky adhesive. It quickly hardened, blinding the being. Darkseid brought his hands up to his neck in an attempt to rip the lasso off.

"Speak, Darkseid!" Diana roared as she pulled on the lasso. "Why are you here?!"

Darkseid whirled around and grabbed the rope with his hands, yanking Diana towards him. "**That does not concern you." **

His fist collided with Diana's face, creating a shockwave that sent the others back.

_(Warning: Temperature threshold approaching.)_

"That doesn't sound good," Flash commented. He was currently running around, trying to blow the debris away with his arms. Victor turned to look at him.

"The computer inside me is picking up data transmitting from Darkseid to those metal cubes," he said to Flash.

_(Connecting to network.)_

"They call them 'mother boxes'," Victor explained. "They create a network of portals- 'boom tubes'." his human eye widened. "I can see through them. I can see worlds like ours burning. And I can see…

… Batman."

* * *

Bruce cautiously inched his way around a large tube. The warmth of the flames below made him sweat slightly. He could hear two people conversing.

"The parademon hives on Earth were ill-equipped to reprocess his flesh," a thin, cold voice said. "But what a pleasure it has been to cut it again and again."

"Do not acknowledge pleasure, Desaad," a gruff, commanding voice retorted. "It is forbidden."

The commanding presence continued. "The Kryptonian was not brought here for you. He was brought here to become a new breed of soldier." Bruce could hear the gruff man pace a bit. "One who will prove vital in the search for the Anti-Life Equation and Darkseid's daughter."

Bruce peered over the pipe, and what he saw made him grimace. Superman was being held in place by some strange construct made of bright shards of crystal, which were embedded in his body. A hooded, thin figure controlled the construct while an armored figure with a horned helmet merely crossed his arms and watched.

"Our master will not stop until he finds them both, Steppenwolf," Desaad hissed.

The horned man-Steppenwolf- straightened himself. "Then neither shall we."

"All hail Darkseid."

* * *

"Tell us where Superman is."

Diana and Thor glared at Darkseid. She got into a stance and snarled at the being, "Come on, giant! I'm getting bored."

Darkseid fired his beams at the two heroes. "**He is mine. As is your world."**

Thor began swinging his hammer, ready to throw it before Diana stepped forward. She held her arms out in front of her and grunted as the beams hit her metallic bracelets and deflected off, hitting Darkseid in the face. "Too many people believe that. That's the problem with people like you Darkseid." She pulled out her sword and leapt forward. "This world belongs to no single person- it is for everyone!"

With a roar, she slammed the blade of her sword into Darkseid's left eye. The god screamed in agony as energy poured out from the wound.

"One down," Diana said, landing on the ground. Flash quickly grabbed Aquaman and carried him forward before throwing him with all his strength. The Atlantean thrusted his trident into the god's other eye. "One more to go."

As Darkseid threw them off, Thor raised his hammer to the sky once more. Storm clouds quickly gathered overhead, lightning crackling around the city. A bolt came down and struck Thor's hammer.

"RAAHHH!" with a roar of rage, Thor directed the lightning at the two weapons embedded in Darkseid's eyes. The lightning travelled through the weapons, causing even more pain and resulting in the ruler bellowing so loud it could be heard over the entire planet. In the days following the battle, many would call it "the shout heard 'round the world".

Even with the agonizing pain, Darkseid threw the others away as he mindlessly swung his hands. The Hulk rushed forward and delivered punch after punch, but this seemed to enrage Darkseid more.

"**ENOUGH!" **he screamed, punching Hulk so hard he went through several nearby buildings. Iron Man swooped in, firing every missile in his possession, but this further enraged Darkseid, who blindly leapt forward and swung, somehow catching the fleeting metal warrior with his fist and sending him into the ground. As Darkseid landed, Thor flew forward once more while Flash and Aquaman ran to support him.

"Jesus," Lantern muttered, watching Darkseid swatting Aquaman, Flash and Thor aside like flies. "A sword, a trident AND lightning through his eyes and he's _still _standing? What else can we do?"

"We can send him home," Victor replied, tapping something on his arm.

"And how do we do that?" Diana asked.

Victor looked up. "Those mother boxes can open a gateway back to the world they came from." He raised his hand as his artificial eye began to glow with red energy. "I just have to… connect with them somehow, and speak their language."

"Which language is that?" Lantern asked.

"'Ping'," Victor replied, waving his hand a bit. "Whatever the hell that me-"

Suddenly, they could hear "pinging" all around them, and wormholes began opening up, and like a vacuum they began sucking in the various parademons throughout the city. "Whatever you're doing kid, keep it up!" Lantern encouraged.

Darkseid roared as he ripped out the weapons in his eyes and threw them away. A portal opened up behind him, but it was not dragging him in. He blindly roared to the group, "**YOU CANNOT STOP ME! I WILL TAKE WHAT IS MINE! SON OF ODIN, WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU I WILL BURN ASGARD TO THE GROUND! THEN ATLANTIS! THEN WHOEVER STANDS IN MY WAY!"**

* * *

Desaad pulled out his mother box, which had begun making "pinging" noises. Steppenwolf pulled his out as well. "Our mother boxes! They're activating!' Desaad cried.

Steppenwolf growled. "We're under attack! We need to secure Superman! Secure-!"

With a boom, both of their mother boxes activated, creating a new sort of portal. When Bruce opened his eyes, the two were gone, and in their place lay a new portal that gave them a view of the city. He could Darkseid pummeling their allies, his massive fists sending them flying.

Quickly, he rushed over, lifting Superman out of the construct. "Superman? Can you hear me?"

Superman groaned, his eyes barely making contact with Bruce's own. "The images they pumped into my brain… The death and torture Darkseid's spread…" he coughed, slumping down next to the machine. "He's spread it across a… a multiverse. I… I think I saw myself."

"You need to get your head on straight," Bruce told him.

"A farm for recycling flesh," Superman babbled. "Screaming children…"

Bruce grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. "We have to get through one of those wormholes before they close. We need you."

On the other side, Darkseid slammed Thor into the ground as Flash attempted to stop him from punching the god of thunder. "**YOU WILL FALL!"**

"**I AM DARKSEID." **he proclaimed.

"We need Superman," Bruce pleaded.

Superman's eyes began to glow red, and with a burst of strength he flew through the wormhole fists first, slamming them into Darkseid and knocking the god off of his allies.

"Time for you to go home, Darkseid!" he cried, throwing a punch. Darkseid caught it with one hand and threw his own, to which Superman caught. The two struggled, locked in a stance as they attempted to overpower the other.

"Superman!" Diana cried out in relief.

"Big Blue's back?" Iron Man said, landing with the others. "Oh, hell yeah!"

"Where the hell did he come from?" Lantern asked aloud.

Darkseid suddenly broke free of the impasse between him and Superman, and bear-hugged the alien. "**Kryptonian," **he boomed, "**You are coming with me." **

"Like… hell... I am!" Superman choked out.

"Now, kid! Cyborg!" Lantern yelled as he constructed an arm to grab Superman away, "Slam the door in his face!" Wonder Woman and Aquaman attacked Darkseid's legs, while Flash zoomed forward and punched his chest. Thor slammed his hammer into the being's head, but Darkseid was still standing. "Shut down those damn boom tubes!" Lantern cried out again.

Cyborg knelt down in pain. The strain of opening all those portals and closing them was too much. His body felt like it was on fire, and his head felt like it was splitting in two. "I- I can't," he said weakly.

"You have to." a strong voice said from behind him.

"B-Batman?" Victor called out. He could hear the man running up to him. "You opened the doorways…" Bruce crouched next to the metal man, "You can close them."

"But my computer isn't responding!" Victor replied.

"It's not the computer in there that's going to do this," Bruce said to Victor, his voice firm and unwavering. "_You _are going to do this."

Victor could see his allies- his friends- all of them struggling to beat Darkseid. "You're our only shot," Batman continued. "You can still be in control."

Victor thought of all of those close to him, who he needed to protect. He was the only one who could send Darkseid back. He knew what he had to do. He stood up and opened his working eye.

"Alright then, c'mon." Victor said, his voice no longer shaky and his eye full of fire. "Ping me."

With a yell and a tremendous boom, Victor closed the boom tube, dragging Darkseid into the portal.

Darkseid screamed as the other portals began closing. "**YOU CANNOT STOP ME!" **he cried. "**I WILL RETUR-" **

Another louder boom resonated through the area. Blinding light came forth, and then… nothing.

"They're… they're all gone," Diana murmured, looking around her. The city had fallen quiet, and it was a sensation that she had not personally felt in ages.

"Nice job, kid," Lantern said to Victor as he helped him stand.

"Every one of their mother boxes are fried," Victor said to the group. Aquaman held up a destroyed mother box.

"Then they won't be able to come back anytime soon." he said.

Thor looked down at the ground. "Loki has escaped. He will undoubtedly be back."

Iron Man descended towards the group, carrying a groggy and almost-naked Bruce Banner in his grip. "We'll deal with that when he comes back, Thor. Though I'll be honest, after a failure like this I doubt he'll want to show his face around here."

Thor nodded. "You may be right."

Aquaman turned and glared at something. "We're being watched."

The ten heroes turned, and sure enough, dozens of civilians were watching them, many of them just staring at the heroes.

"Um," Flash said to the rest. "We should leave before they blame us again or…"

Suddenly, a person in the group began clapping. He was followed by another, then another, and soon enough the entire crowd of civilians were whooping and cheering.

"You did it!"

"You saved us!"

"You're the world's greatest super-humans!"

"Yeah!"

"What's your hurry, Flash?" Lantern said cheekily. All the heroes, even Thor, visibly relaxed and allowed the crowds to praise them, at least for a bit.

In that crowd, David and Jennifer Graves hugged as Jason and Emma cheered with the rest.

_I heard someone call them the world's greatest super-humans. But they're not that._

* * *

_Every civilization throughout history has had higher beings they aspire to._

The western front of the U.S Capitol building was usually host to the inaugurations of presidents, but today was a special day. All ten of the heroes stood behind the president as he made his speech.

"Today marks a momentous day in human history," President Bush began. "In our darkest hour, these people donned their colorful costumes and went into action."

"Costumes?" Hal muttered, annoyed. "I don't wear a _costume_. This is my uniform."

"And this is Atlantean scale mail. Do they think I'd choose orange?" Aquaman added.

"I don't mind the orange myself, but the necklace has gotta go," Hal shot back.

"I gotta agree with Lantern on this one. The necklace gives you too much of a surfer vibe," Tony added. Aquaman glared at them both.

Further down the line, Victor looked to Barry nervously. "I shouldn't be here."

Barry shook his head. "Sure you should. Be proud." he tilted his head, indicating a spot within the crowd. "Your dad looks like he is."

Victor looked to where Barry had gestured, and his dad was sitting there, but not looking at the President- he was instead looking at him. Victor felt himself smile and saw his father smile back.

President Bush continued in that Southern twang of his, "We were attacked by an enemy unlike any we have ever encountered…"

In the crowd, Steve Trevor grinned as he watched Diana stand with the other heroes. She had definitely found a group in the modern world she could belong with.

"... and we were saved by a team of heroes, the likes of which we had not seen since nearly seventy years ago."

"Jeez, can you believe this?" Hal murmured.

"That the people aren't afraid of us?" Diana whispered back.

"Or that they are praising us?" Thor also whispered.

"No and no," Hal said. "The fact that everyone thinks we're a team. We're not a team."

_They are beings of great power and morality._

* * *

Emma Graves, stuffed bear in hand, watched the live broadcast with excitement.

"_... these super friends used their super-powers to protect us…"_

"The super friends saved us, daddy!"

"Hmm?" David muttered, looking up from his writing to see his daughter coming up to his desk. "Oh, yes they did, honey. They sure did."

_Beings to help us strive for better._

* * *

"And we're not friends either," Hal said to the rest.

"We need to let them think we're both." Bruce replied.

"Why?"

"It'll keep the Gotham P.D off of my back. The Air Force off of yours."

"I don't have time to belong to a team," Aquaman cut in. "I've got other responsibilities."

"So do I," Diana added.

"I have a whole universe to protect." Hal said smugly.

"I have to protect all of the Nine Realms as well," Thor added. "Not to mention I have to alert the healers to come here from Asgard to help those who survived the battle."

The others looked at him quizzically, and he elaborated. "When my father pushed Darkseid out of Asgard, his aura left a sickness in those present. It took a long time and it cost many lives, but we were able to find a cure to his disease. That same disease may now affect your people, so we must act quickly. I have to contact them after this ceremony."

"I think he's got you beat there," Tony snickered, causing Hal to glare at him.

"Guys, we can do all of that together." Barry reasoned to the rest.

Hal frowned. "Can you fly into space?"

"I can," Superman replied.

"As can I," Thor added.

"I'm pretty sure I've got something space-capable lying around my workshop," Tony said smugly. At that point, Hal was starting to get annoyed and he raised his voice slightly.

"That's not the point," he spat. "We all have _other _things we need to do. We're not friends, and we sure as hell aren't a team like Captain America and his band of super-powered soldiers. This was just a one time thing, okay? This was a one-time deal!"

* * *

"What are you doing, daddy?" Emma asked curiously, her eyes looking over her father's typewriter.

"I'm writing a new book," David replied, taking a sip from his coffee cup.

_They make me believe in tomorrow._

* * *

"What if something like this happens again?" Bruce said to Hal.

"And what are the chances of that?" Hal retorted.

As if on cue, a voice shouted out, "Mr. President!" a female Secret Service agent ran up to President Bush, quickly whispering in his ear.

_For us, our families and the rest of the world._

President Bush turned to the group of heroes. "I'm sorry, but we've got trouble. Your kind of trouble I'd guess. We need your team again."

Flash flashed a grin. "We have a name, Mr. President."

"We do?" Lantern asked.

"You do?" Bush said at the same time.

"Sure," Flash said. He gestured to the rest of them: Aquaman, Iron Man, Cyborg, Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Wonder Woman, Thor, Green Lantern, Batman, Superman and himself, and he threw his right hand up all flashy. "You can call us…"

"The Titanic Ten!"

...

"The _Titanic _Ten?" Lantern questioned, looking at Flash quizzically.

"Well, I'm sure we'll think of something," Flash replied.

* * *

David looked at the title of the book he had been working on, now finished and ready to be published.

The title read _Justice Legion: Gods Among Us._

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

_New York City, several months later_

"Who are you people?" Superman asked, floating down onto the street below. Thor and Lantern flew down next to him as they stared at the four in front of them.

One was a salt-and-pepper haired man who's very body seemed to be made out of Play-doh, so to speak- he was incredibly flexible, beyond human limits. One of his hands had just finished pummeling a criminal. Another was a blonde woman who's lower part of her body seemed to be… invisible. Another was a literal human flame, and the last one was some sort of… rock creature with orange skin.

The stretchy man and the invisible woman wore blue uniforms with the number "4" on them, while the rock man had similar shorts on instead.

"Pleasure to meet you, Superman," Reed Richards said, grinning. "I'm Reed Richards, this is Sue Storm," he gestured to the woman, who waved, "Johnny Storm", he gestured to the flaming man, who gave a thumbs-up, "and this is Ben Grimm." he gestured to the rock man who crossed his arms and gave a smirk. "But you can call us the Fantastic Four!"

Lantern cringed slightly. "Really?"

"Ya got a problem with that, pal?" Ben retorted.

"It's nearly as bad as the name Flash came up with when we first started…"

Johnny snorted and turned off his flame, revealing a blonde-haired man with similar features to his sister. "Fantastic Four rolls off a lot better than 'Titanic Ten', that's for sure."

Hal glowered at Johnny, who smirked before being hit on the shoulder by Sue.

"Johnny, stop picking a fight with the Legion!" She chided. Johnny briefly stopped before glaring at Hal, who smirked back.

Superman held up his hand to stop any possible escalation. "Well, I for one am glad to see another superhero team. I guess we'll be working together a lot from now on?"

Reed chuckled. "Trust me Superman, you can count on us."

* * *

Peter Parker sighed as he walked home. It had been a pretty long day. First, Flash decided to shove his head in the toilet not once, but twice. He was going to talk to M.J, but she seemed to be busy with the new transfer student. Gwen had left early, and she didn't tell him why. Harry wasn't at school today. At least he and Ned were nearly finished on that Biology project-

The sixteen year-old stiffened as he heard a scream.

Acting quickly, he dug his costume out of his backpack and ran into a nearby alleyway, changing quickly. Pulling the mask over his face, he fired his web-shooters and swung away, off towards the source.

In another alleyway, a man in a hoodie and jeans aimed a snub-nose revolver at the young couple. "Just hand over the wallet and no one gets hurt," he said, his voice both smooth yet slimy.

"No one's getting hurt today!"

The man felt a tugging sensation on the gun, and suddenly it was no longer in his hands. He did a double-take as a costumed hero landed in front of him- his costume red and blue, along with white eyes outlined in black and a sort of web design throughout his suit. A black spider symbol stood proudly on his chest.

"Da hell are you supposed to be?" the man guffawed. "Some sort of 'Spider-thing'?"

He threw a right punch, but his eyes widened as he felt them hit nothing. He threw a left hook and again hit nothing. He drew back and threw a haymaker, but suddenly found himself off of his feet before slamming into the ground.

Some sort of sticky substance stuck itself to his arms and legs, with another one covering his mouth. He couldn't move his arms or legs.

The spider hero went up to the couple. "Are you alright, ma'am?" he asked. It occurred to the thug that this guy couldn't be older than eighteen, not by a long shot.

The woman simply screamed and ran off, her boyfriend following close behind. He could hear the boy sigh and saw him turn to look at himself.

"It's Spider-Man," the boy said, before zipping off into the night.

* * *

Hank Pym walked into his private office, mulling over the events that had occurred over the last few months. Super-powered warriors were fighting in American streets- and he had even lent a hand in creating one!

The Promethium that had helped save Victor Stone's life interested him to no end. He would definitely need to acquire some for himself.

In the meantime, he could work on his Pym Particles, and maybe even play a larger role in creating a new hero!

But something told him that these heroes wouldn't be here forever. They would need a fighter to help them in the future, when there would be no one left to guard humanity. It would need to be someone incorruptible, someone immortal… and to that end it couldn't be human. But maybe...

Immediately, he ran to his desk and began writing up plans for a tool to help humanity and the future.

It would be called Ultron.

* * *

_Lex Luthor's private yacht, January 2008_

Slade Wilson ran a hand through his white hair as he sat down on the couch on the luxury boat. Across from him, the bald man smiled.

There was another man standing next to Luthor. He had long dark hair and a horned, golden helmet in one hand. He was spinning a knife in the other. The two nodded to each other before Slade addressed the bald man.

"What's this about, Luthor?" Deathstroke asked gruffly. "Don't waste my time."

"I value my life too highly for that. Those 'rivals' of ours have gone ahead and formed their own little team, I presume you heard?" Lex Luthor replied, his voice deeply smooth. "And they have been busting all of these schemes our colleagues have hatched. The playing field isn't exactly level."

He took out a manilla folder and slid it across the table in front of them. The eyepatch-wearing mercenary picked it up and examine its contents. He nodded slightly as he skimmed through each file before closing the folder and laying it on the table. "Nice little group of people you've selected. What for?"

"Well, Mr. Wilson," Luthor replied, "Superman and his friends have a Legion." He grinned, and in his eyes were nothing but devious intent. "Why don't we have a Legion of our own?"

The boat sailed on into the night.

* * *

_Bleecker Street, New York, 2009_

"All right, mate," John Constantine said in the dimly-lit room within the Sanctorium. "Why'd you bring us here for?" He rustled in his coat pocket for a cigarette and lit it up.

Zatanna Zatarra glowered at her on-and-off again boyfriend. "Put that out, will you?" To him, she still looked sexy in that outfit of hers, which included that top hat and tight magician's outfit with the fishnets.

"Oh c'mon, love, I'm sure he won't mind."

The ghastly Boston Brand simply smirked as he watched the two argue, ending with Zatanna reciting a spell that made Constantine's cigarettes vanish. The white "D" on his red costume glowed slightly.

The moss-covered Swamp Thing said nothing, merely looking around him and drawing in the surroundings.

"I sure hope it's important," Johnny Blaze remarked, fixing his leather jacket. "I double-parked my motorcycle out there. I don't want any cops touching it."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Jason Blood replied. He was clad in a simple sweater and pants, and had a white streak in his brown hair that gave him a gothic look.

Wanda Maximoff looked at Blaze. "You weren't able to find a parking spot?" Her costume consisting of a red leather outfit with a crown-esque headpiece and cape. The cape flowed slightly.

Johnny looked at her. "It's the city. Of course there ain't gonna be parking spots."

After a couple more seconds of awkwardness and quiet conversation, Constantine looked up. "Well, mate? You gonna explain why we're here or are we going to stand here like a couple of idiots?"

Doctor Stephen Strange emerged from the shadows. He levitated towards the group, his hair and goatee slightly moving, "There is a coming threat that the Justice Legion cannot fight. _We_ must fight it, together, or humanity is doomed."

The others all stared at him before Constantine broke the silence. "Bloody hell, why didn't you say that in the first place?"

* * *

_The Arctic Circle, 2015_

Kevin Grant hated the cold.

He preferred the balmy weather of his native Florida, or at least the mostly-warm Washington D.C. It was a pretty big reason why he would've rather done a different task, but when the call had come he and Lieutenant Joseph Fitzgerald were the only ones available to take it.

And now he was in one of the coldest places on Earth, attempting to track down something that the crew here had called in hours before.

He could see a person wielding an electric torch ushering them forward before motioning to them to stop. Grant and Fitzgerald got out and approached the parka-wearing torch bearer, who looked them over.

"You the guys from Washington?" the torch-wielding one asked.

"You get any other visitors out here?" Grant said sarcastically. Jesus, it was freezing here.

Fitzgerald glared at him for a second and turned to the crew member. "How long have you been on site?"

"Since this morning." the one with the torch led them through the heavy snow. "A Russian oil team called it in about eighteen hours ago."

"How come nobody's spotted it before?"

"It's not that surprising; this landscape is changing all the time," the torch-wielding one said. "You got any idea what this thing is?"

"No idea, probably a weather balloon," Grant suggested.

"Heh, I don't think so. You know, I don't think we have the equipment for a job like this," torch-bearer said.

"How long before we can start getting it out?" Fitzgerald asked.

"I don't think you understand," the torch-bearer replied. "You guys are gonna need one helluva crane for this!" He stopped right before something.

The two guys from Washington saw a plane wing, buried in the snow. Behind it was a rough outline of the entire plane, made of red lights. Even from their position Grant could barely make out the scale of the aircraft.

A new type of drill was quickly secured, and it went to work, using a high-tech laser to cut through the snow and whatever was underneath it. As a hole formed, the Washington guys rappelled down into the interior of the plane.

Grant came down first with Fitzgerald following and talking into his radio. "We're in."

"What is this?" Grant muttered aloud. Turning his light on, the two walked into the depths of the plane. It's metal interior had been coated in ice and snow. What few munitions were once here were rendered useless by the cold. By his own guess, this plane flew in World War II, or at least somewhere around the same time.

They shined their lights forward and saw what appeared to be the cockpit. The glass had been frozen over and the machinery was dead. Upon closer inspection, there appeared to be bullet holes in the various meters and gauges. The machine definitely wouldn't work even if it hadn't been frozen.

Fitzgerald continued studying the area and briefly talking into his radio about what he saw. Grant continued exploring the cockpit when he noticed something buried near the pilot's seat.

Kneeling down, Grant wiped away the thin snow and found an object. Its shape looked familiar, but he couldn't place where he had seen it. Perhaps Fitzgerald would know- the old man knew more about history than he did.

"Lieutenant!" he called out to the other agent. "What is it?"

The Lieutenant came and flashed his light on the item on the ground, and gasped. "My God…" he thumbed the button on his radio. "Base, get me a line to the Colonel."

"But it's three A.M, sir," the radio chirped back.

"I don't care what time it is," Fitzgerald replied, staring at the item on the floor. "This one's waited long enough."

The item in question was a circular disk with a red exterior, a blue interior and a single silver star in the middle. It was covered in snow but it still looked as vibrant as when it first entered the public eye in World War II.

The shield of a legendary war hero.

_**In the next chapter, a legendary hero joins the Justice Legion and reminiscences about the past. **_


	7. Back from the Cold

_**Once more, Justice League and Avengers characters are owned by DC Comics and Marvel respectively. Now, onto the chapter.**_

Steve could see the light.

It was so close he could almost touch it. He could almost see Peggy and Bucky, along with all his other friends- Jim, Alan, Jay, Ted, Amaya, Kent even the less happier Namor were all smiling, waiting for him to come.

And then they disappeared.

He could feel his eyes were closed, and slowly he opened them. He was lying upon a bed. In front of him was a person standing in front of him. He had his back to Steve, and he was talking into some sort of strange, small rectangular device in his hand. He was speaking English.

As his vision cleared, Steve could make out the details of the mysterious person's costume. He had brown hair and wore a uniform with alternating colors of green and black. His boots were green while his gloves appeared to be white. His left hand held the strange device while his right hand had a ring on it that Steve could barely make out. A very familiar green ring.

Panic seized him for a second, as he wondered why this man had a ring like Alan.

If he was speaking English and not German, then that ruled out Nazis. But then what?

For now, he chose to listen.

"... so everything went okay over there with Iris?" the man spoke. "Nice, man. Yeah, after I'm done watching the old fossil I'll join up with you- oh crap! I told John and Sam that I'd be meeting them at the pub later today. Sorry. I'll see you at the meeting on Thursday, right?"

Steve suddenly let out an involuntary groan and the man in front of him whirled.

He saw a face covered partially by a green domino mask, as well as a lantern symbol on his chest, and he was reminded of Alan. The face of the green-costumed man contorted in shock.

"Jesus!" he cried out. "Captain America! You're awake! Oh man…" he shook himself and looked back at Steve. "I'm Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of Sector 2814."

Sector 2814? What the hell did that mean? What he knew for sure was that this Hal was now the Green Lantern, so what happened to Alan? Did this man kill him?

Jordan placed his fingers on a strange black object in his ear and spoke, "This is Hal Jordan to the Justice Legion. Captain America's awake, I repeat, Captain America's awake."

"Green Lantern?" Steve muttered, causing Hal to jump slightly and look at him. "You're Green Lantern?"

"Uh, yeah," Hal said, like it was obvious.

"What did you do with Alan Scott?!" Captain America roared, sitting upright. "Did you kill him?!"

Hal backed away, his arms held up. "Now just hold on a minute, Cap, let me explain!"

Steve calmed down slightly, and Hal lowered his hands. "Look, the world you've woken up to is very different than the one you're used to. You're in New York. We want to help you; you were frozen for a long time. Now," he stepped closer slightly. "About Alan Scott. I didn't kill him, but I've never met him either."

Hal was now close enough that Steve was able to throw a punch right into Hal's nose. As the "Lantern" yelped in pain Steve shoved him against the wall.

"Liar," Steve spat. This man had surely killed Alan and taken his role in some sick gesture.

Hal created a rope with his ring, using it to grab Steve's arms. Captain America responded by maneuvering himself off the nearby bed in such a way that his foot collided with Hal's face again.

"AGGH! C'MON!" Hal screamed in agony.

As Hal clutched his nose, Steve ran out the door to see several doctors in the hallway. Many of them had lab coats on, and a couple of them were carrying large, flat, black tablets in their hands, tapping away at them. All of the doctors looked up to stare at Steve.

"Mr. Rogers?" a woman with her hair in a ponytail asked.

He didn't respond, his eyes snapping to another doctor pushing in an object on a cart. It was his trusty shield, and it looked as good as ever. At least one thing was familiar.

He ran, his enhanced legs allowing him to cross the distance quickly. He grabbed the shield from the cart and descended down a nearby stairwell, soon finding himself in a lobby. Other doctors mulled about, but there were also what looked like police officers. The officers turned to look at him, and slowly drew their firearms. "Sir, please drop the, uh, shield and put your hands up," they said, pointing their guns at him.

Steve didn't like this one bit. He slowly lowered his shield before suddenly throwing it at one of the officers, a portly white man with a mustache. The shield smacked into his face, sending him down. The other one, a younger Spanish-looking man, shakily aimed his gun at the legendary hero.

"You don't want to do that, son," he said, before turning and running towards the doors.

He was stopped when something came out of the floor and stopped before him. It was a man with a bald head and green skin, with red eyes and a strange costume which consisted of blue armor and a blue cape, as well as a red "X" in the center.

The man spoke in a calm, deep timbre to Steve. "Please, Captain, stop. We are trying to help you. We-"

Steve didn't want to hear anymore. He threw his shield at the green thing and was shocked when the shield went right through the man.

"Please," the green man said again. "We mean you no harm. Just-"

Once more, Steve ignored it and surprised the green creature by running forward at full speed. The green man barely had time to react before Steve barreled through him, going through the green man as if he were nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

He finally reached the door and, stopping to scoop his shield up, slammed it open and ran into the sunlight, pausing to shield his eyes.

What he saw was what looked like Manhattan- but it looked so different, like something out of those science-fiction novels Jay had told him about. There were cars bustling up and down the street, but they looked so much different than the cars he was used to. Men and women walked around too, wearing blue pants and shirts and shoes of all different colors, a far cry from what clothes he used to wear back in Brooklyn. Many of them carried the same strange rectangular devices that Jordan had carried, and a dozen or so were pointing them in his direction, flashes coming from the objects made him wince.

He heard footsteps and saw Hal walk outside and stand next to him. "Before you ask anything folks, this is, indeed, the real Captain America!" he put a gloved hand over his nose before adding, "and he hits like a train, believe me!"

The civilians "ooh'd" and "aah'd" as they continued using their devices.

Hal looked up and grinned. "The cavalry has arrived."

Steve looked up into the sky and saw four figures descending towards him: two men, a woman and some sort of metal thing.

The first man had some sort of black armor on with blue-white circles on it. He held a hammer in his muscular hand, and he had a helmet on with little wing tips on the ends. He had strong features, a bit of stubble, and long blonde hair.

The woman had dark hair and wore a red and gold breast plate, the upper golden parts forming double "w"s, as well as a blue skirt that segmented into pieces of armor. She also wore red-gold boots and had a sword on her back, as well as silver bracelets on her arms. Finally, she had a golden tiara on her forehead.

The metal figure looked humanoid- it looked like a highly-advanced set of armor. It was mainly red with bits of gold here and there, along with a bright-lit circle in the middle of its chest. Its "face" was golden with slits for "eyes" as well as what looked like a mouth.

The final figure was a muscular man wearing a costume that looked like pajamas. The costume was mostly blue with red tights and a yellow belt. He had red boots but kept his hands bare. His hair was styled in a spit curl and he smiled at Cap. What Cap was drawn to was the symbol on his chest: an upside down triangle with yellow on the inside, as well as a stylized red "S" in the center.

As the four stared at Cap, the S man in particular smiling, he could only look back in utter confusion.

* * *

Steve admired the interior of the so called "Hall of Justice", a building on 505 5th Avenue. From the exterior, it almost looked like the establishment was a half-circle. According to the others, this was the base of operations of the "Justice Legion". Or one of them, anyways.

He turned to the others as they walked with him. The S Man was nicknamed Superman, AKA Clark Kent. He was supposedly the Last Son of a planet called "Krypton".

The woman was named Wonder Woman, or as she called herself to the world, Diana Prince. She came from an island named Themyscira, where women were the dominant species and men were forbidden. She referred to herself as an Amazon, which slightly confused Steve.

The man with the hammer was named Thor- he was the god of thunder. Steve had a particular time believing that, especially when he said his father was Odin. Steve had heard those names before in his youth, but they were nothing more than myths back then.

The armored figure was actually a man- billionaire Tony Stark, CEO of Stark Industries and the self-proclaimed "Iron Man". The armor he wore was a highly advanced weapon- essentially a miniature fortress for one man.

Finally, the green skinned man was J'onn J'onzz, AKA Martian Manhunter. He was a genuine martian, the last of his kind. Superman told Steve that they had met the martian a year after they initially became a team, when he had warned them of an incoming invasion and subsequent war. Afterwards, they had accepted J'onn into their ranks.

He had already met Hal, who he apologized to for punching him in his nose. The Lantern waved it off, claiming it was an "honor to be hit by Captain America".

Clark had told him that they weren't the only members of the Justice Legion, and that they weren't the only heroes around. He mentioned a "Fantastic Four" and a group of magic users, but he didn't elaborate, saying that he wanted Steve to get used to his surroundings first.

Steve turned to Clark. "So this is the 21st century?" he was still baffled as to how he had ended up seventy years into the future.

"Yup," Clark replied. "It's the year 2015."

"2015…" Steve muttered. "A lot certainly changed in seventy years. Everyone's carrying those devices now, and wearing different clothing. Even the cars look advanced."

"Those are smart-phones," Tony said cheerfully. "They're quite amazing. You can call people, watch videos, play games, message your friends, and browse the internet on them!"

"The internet?" Steve repeated. Already there were more foreign terms that he would have to learn.

J'onn laid a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Do not worry Captain," he reassured. "We will help you in adjusting into the modern world."

"Aye." Thor agreed. "There are many wonderful things that you can find in this world today. It truly is a great time to live!"

"I have to agree with that," Diana said, smiling. "Believe me, Captain, not too long ago I was in a similar situation that you find yourself in. You will get used to this world."

Cap grimaced slightly. "Uh huh." they all walked into the main room of the Hall, where a large table sat in the center, ten seats neatly surrounding it. There were various monitors and other advanced equipment throughout the room, and several figures stood in the room: an ordinary looking man with glasses writing something in a notebook, a man in a red-and-gold costume with a lightning bolt in the center and a white cape talking with a blonde woman with a red & blue outfit with a star symbol in the center of her chest, and an African-American man in silver, futuristic armor typing away at a keyboard.

"Cap," Clark began, gesturing to the others, "I'd like you to meet some of our other members."

"This is Bruce Banner, genius nuclear physicist and the Hulk." the man with the glasses, presumably Banner, walked up to Steve and shook his hand. "It's an honor to meet you, Captain."

"Nice to meet you," Steve greeted. "Why do they call you the Hulk?"

"Well, I tend to turn into a giant monster when I'm angry."

"Really?" Steve asked. "And only when you get angry?"

Banner shrugged. "That's the most reliable way so far, but honestly I'd rather not test its limits right now."

Hal pointed to the robotic human working at the machine, who finished typing something and turned to walk towards them. "This here's Victor Stone, but the public calls him Cyborg." Victor extended his hand to shake the Captain's, who shook it firmly. The metal was both cool and warm to his hand.

"He's basically got an entire computer inside of him. He can hack into nearly any piece of technology and repurpose it for anything," Hal continued. Steve smiled. "Maybe you can help me with all of this new tech that I need to get the hang of?"

Victor smiled back. "I'd be glad to, Captain."

Tony walked over and grabbed Victor by the shoulder, whispering into his ear. The two walked off, and Thor gestured to the other two members. "These are our newest recruits: Shazam and Captain Marvel!"

The man with the cape and the lightning bolt stepped forward and grinned, lifting his fist up. "Hey, Captain America!" he suddenly dropped the fist. "Oh, should I shake your hand or are you fine with the fist bump?"

The woman came up from behind and smacked him in the head. "Oh, quit fooling around, Billy." She turned to Steve and smiled. "It's an honor to meet you, Captain. I'm Carol Danvers, I fight crime as Captain Marvel." She gestured to the man next to her, who was holding his head and wincing. "This is Billy Batson, or Shazam. He's the youngest of us all."

"The youngest?" Steve repeated.

"Yeah…" Billy rubbed the back of his head. "See, this isn't my "real" body. I'm not as old as I look. It's kinda complicated."

As Steve pondered on how old Billy was, a door opened and another person came in. This one had a dark gray costume, with along with black boots and black gauntlets with sharp fins on them. He also had a large black cape and cowl with two sharp tips that looked like ears. His eyes were white, though his mouth was visible; a frown lay on his face. Finally, there was a large black bat symbol on his chest.

Steve stared at the new arrival. "Who are you?"

The masked man stared back. "I'm Batman."

As Batman continued walking towards Cyborg and Tony, the billionaire pouted. "Oh, c'mon Bats! Everyone else here has revealed their identity to the old man here," he gestured to Steve, who frowned at the remark, "So why don't you?"

Batman finally turned to Steve. "It's Bruce Wayne." He began typing into the computer next to Victor.

Steve looked confused, so Hal filled in the blanks. "He's a billionaire, like Tony."

"Actually, that's _multi_-billionaire!" Tony clarified.

"Are we missing anyone?" Thor asked aloud, looking around.

Hal smirked. "Barry said he'd be running a bit late, but he should be-"

Steve recoiled as he felt something pass him at an incredibly high speed- like a bullet. He turned and saw a new hero: This man wore a primarily red costume with yellow boots. His helmet had little lightning bolts as "ears". There was also a yellow lightning bolt on his chest outlined in a white circle. Lightning briefly crackled over his body before dissipating.

"-here any second now," Hal finished.

"Sorry, I'm late guys," the newcomer said, slightly out of breath. "Had to deal with Grodd and Snart. They were trying to hold up a bank."

"A bank? Seems a little too "menial" for them, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it did seem a little weird, now that I think about it…" the newcomer noticed Steve standing there and turned towards him, an apologetic look on his face. "Oh! Sorry for the abrupt entrance, Captain. I'm Barry Allen, or you can call me the Flash." He extended a hand for Cap to shake.

Steve shook it. "The Flash, huh? Let me guess, your power's super speed?"

Barry chuckled sheepishly. "You guessed correctly."

"So, the only ones we are missing are T'Challa and Arthur," Thor mused.

"And they are?" Steve asked.

"Black Panther and Aquaman," Clark elaborated. "They're the only other members you haven't met yet. T'Challa is the king of the African nation of Wakanda and Arthur is the current king of Atlantis. They both have other duties to tend to, which is why they aren't here."

"The King of Atlantis?" Steve muttered. "What happened to Namor?"

Thor and Clark looked at each other before turning back to Steve. "He disappeared eight years ago."

Steve's mind was absolutely boggled by that statement. "Eight years ago?"

Clark's face was solemn as he stared at Cap. "You may want to sit down for this one."

The two walked over to the table while Thor went off to chat with Billy and Carol. Hal and Barry went over to another computer, while Diana went over to join Bruce, Tony and Victor. Sitting down, Steve mulled over what he had just heard. Namor had been alive eight years ago, and then… what? Did he die?

"When I heard you had woken up, I asked Victor to pull the latest information about your teammates, in case anything recent had happened that we had missed," Clark began.

"We found the usual. There were articles highlighting Captain America and his Soldiers of Liberty and their service during World War II, but nothing beyond what the public already knew."

"Your friend Bucky Barnes was presumed dead after Zola's capture in 1945. Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, Jim Hammond, Amaya Jiwe, Ted Grant and Kent Nelson all vanished after the war ended."

"Vanished?"

Clark nodded. "I had Victor pull every file he could but he found nothing on them. It was like they just… disappeared. The last known record of them was on the night Japan surrendered and the war ended. They attended a celebratory party and were never seen again.

As for Namor, he left the party early and was seen jumping into the ocean by a group of marines. Based on what Arthur told us, he was present there for the next seventy years until 2007, around the time Arthur became Aquaman. Then, sometime before we got together as a team, he vanished. Arthur didn't tell us anymore besides that."

Steve stared at the table in front of him, unsure of what to think. All his other friends besides Bucky were gone. Why had they vanished?

Clark spoke again. "There is some good news, though. Peggy Carter's alive."

Steve looked up. "Peggy's alive?"

"Yes," Clark continued. "From what Victor got, she's living in Washington D.C."

Steve stood up. "I need to go see her."

"Of course," Clark agreed. "One small thing. I have an offer for you. You can stay here and join the Justice Legion. I know it won't be easy for a man like yourself to adjust to the modern world, and I think we can all agree that something strange happened to your friends. The Legion can, and wants to help you. If you choose so, of course."

Superman extended a hand, and Steve stared at it, considering the offer. He could definitely use the help navigating this new world of his, and they would be a great aid in finding out what happened to his friends. He reached out and shook Clark's hand.

Superman grinned as they shook. He muttered something, and Steve looked at him. "Pardon?"

"Oh, sorry about that, Captain," Superman apologized. "It's just that I've admired you greatly ever since I was a kid. It feels like I'm meeting a legend."

Cap smiled. "It's fine. And please, call me Steve."

Before Superman could say anything back, an alarm sounded.

Cyborg turned to the entire group. "Despero's rampaging across Midtown."

"Are the Fantastic Four available?" Superman asked.

"I checked. Seems like they're off-world until next week."

"Then we're up," Superman replied. He turned to Cap. "We can get you a new suit, but in the meantime I'm afraid you'll have to make do with your old wartime one."

As the others all rushed towards the entrance to the Hall, Cap smiled. "That's fine. It's about time I got back into the game."

Clark smiled back and led Cap to a room- obviously an armory. There were multiple weapons housed within, and gear for each member of the Legion. On one table in particular sat his shield and his old suit. It looked faded and beaten, but it was otherwise in good condition.

Steve lifted the shield up. The light reflected off of the nearly indestructible metal.

It was time to get to work.

* * *

The red-skinned goliath stomped through the streets, batting aside any who dare came close to him. The human policemen fired their weapons at him, but they did little damage. The projectiles, however, were ruining his cape and pants.

He snarled. This outfit of his was one of his finest, and the only people who were worthy of damaging it were the Justice Legion!

He swung his massive fists, destroying the vehicles in front of him and sending the policemen scattering. He rose his head, the fin on top standing proud in the sunlight. "Where is the Justice Legion?!" he roared. "Bring them here, humans! Despero will crush them all!"

He felt something hit the back of his head. Something hard.

Despero whirled and saw a lone man standing in the street. He wore a costume and carried some sort of disk with a similar design: they looked like the flag of this nation.

He chuckled. "I asked for the Justice Legion, not a puny little man! You even came alone to face me!"

The costumed man smirked. "But I'm not alone."

All of a sudden, he felt something rush by him. Pain shot across his legs before he felt fists hit his head, sending him stumbling back. He briefly saw a flash of lightning before it hit him, burning his skin, driving him further into the asphalt.

Despero stumbled back and saw the Justice Legion assembled in front of him.

"It's time for you to go back home, Despero!" Superman shouted.

The former tyrant grinned and rushed towards the team, who charged at him in turn.

It would be a good day, indeed.

* * *

Later that day, Steve stood at one of the Hall's many windows, staring out at the city below him. The sun was setting, and slowly lights bloomed all over the city. He turned as he heard footsteps behind him.

Superman walked up to the Captain, a calm smile on his face. "Penny for your thoughts?" he said.

Steve resumed his watch of the city. "When I went to visit Peggy- thanks for the teleporter, by the way- It was... It brought back memories."

Superman looked at him curiously, so Steve continued. "She reminded me of a night about a couple of months before the war ended. It was a warm night, and we were all at a nearby Allied bar…"

* * *

_Late March, 1945_

"So he says, "vat the hell are you doing?!" and I say, "Taking back this base back, you no-good Nazi!" and then I hit him in the face- with both of my fists!"

The group all laughed as Jay Garrick graphically retold a recent endeavor by the Soldiers of Liberty to retake a captured Allied base. His red-and-blue outfit, with his lightning bolt symbol on his chest, sharply contrasted the accent he had imitated. The speedster's winged helmet lay on the table, but it was quickly picked up as the brown-haired man retook his seat. Steve smiled as he sipped on the ale in his hand. Finally, there was a chance for the group to relax after months of constant fighting and moving.

As the laughter died down, Alan Scott looked around the table, still clad in that outfit of his. It was a red and green outfit with a cloak and a large lantern symbol on his chest. The blonde-haired man had taken off his domino mask for the evening, but the green ring on his right hand glowed ever so slightly. "So," he began, taking a sip of his drink, "What do you all plan on doing after the war ends? I doubt HYDRA's gonna be around for much longer, what with all our efforts to kick their asses!"

The group all cheered, except for Namor, who merely smirked.

"Oh c'mon," Jay said. "Even with HYDRA gone, what are you going to do, Alan? Go back to beating up criminals in your city?"

Alan smirked. "Actually, that's _exactly _what I was going to do."

The group burst into laughter again. As it quieted down, Amaya Jiwe- the warrior known as Vixen- spoke up. "I for one, would like to go and see my family again. My husband and daughter are waiting for me back home." The ancient necklace around her collar glowed slightly.

"Yeah, once this is all over I'm gonna go and settle down with Joan," Jay added. "I think I'll try living life a little slower, if you get my drift."

Ted Grant snorted. The muscular man wore a simple black bodysuit, with bandages wrapping over his fists. His mask was similar to a cat's face, with whiskers and cat ears, but he had pulled it off for tonight. "As if you can live slowly, Garrick."

As the others chuckled, Steve spoke. "Honestly, I think Bucky and I'll go back to Brooklyn. I'm more suited for city life."

Jay stopped drinking to look at him. "That's it?"

As Steve nodded, Alan joined in. "You won't talk to Ms. Carter at all?"

Steve blushed as he glared at both of them. "W-what?"

Jay shrugged. "It was obvious Rogers, from the day we saw the two of you in the same room. Why don't you just ask her on a date already?"

"I'll- I'll get around to it, as soon as we're done here."

"Don't wait too long, man. Someone else might snatch her before you even get a chance." Jay resumed sipping his drink, leaving Steve to process those thoughts.

As Steve pondered on what Jay had said, Jim Hammond spoke up. "I think I'll do what Alan suggested. There will still be wicked people in this world, and we with powers have a duty to combat that and protect the defenseless."

Kent Nelson nodded. The sorcerer wore a blue-and-gold outfit with a golden cape, but his most striking feature, his golden Helmet of Fate, was not on his head. It sat on the table, the eyeholes void of color for once. "The Helmet will undoubtedly draw me towards any future conflicts. I don't think I have much of a choice in that regard."

Ted spoke next. "I think I'll go back home and get back to my gym. A lotta people wanna get trained by the famous Wildcat after all. But to be honest, compared to what you guys said, it seems a little weird."

Jay snickered, causing Ted to glare at him. Before anything could happen, Steve addressed Namor. "What about you, your highness?"

Namor folded his arms. "I have duties to tend to in Atlantis, Rogers. I don't have time for little crime-busting activities like Scott or courting women." His chest was bare for the most part, though the other parts of his body were clothed in a black outfit. His eyes were sharp and cold. "You know, Alan, that little obsession of yours may someday be your end."

While Steve's eyebrow merely shot up, Alan burst from his seat, his face twisted into an expression of annoyance and anger. "What'd you say, fishface?" The two didn't have the best working relationship, their personal beliefs and personalities often clashing with each other. It had built up quite a bit over the time they had fought together, and it seemed to be reaching the point where even an indirect insult could result in a scuffle.

"Are you deaf too, railroad boy? I said-"

"I heard what you said, jackass, and while I may not be a king, at least I can show some basic human decency to others!"

Namor was now standing too. "Know this, Scott. I am _not _human. I am a proud Atlanetean, and it would do you well to remember that!"

"As if we haven't heard that at least three goddamn times a day-!"

Jay used his super-speed, and in an instant, both Alan and Namor were in their seats once more, drinks in their hands.

"Hey, we're here to drink and relax tonight, not fight each other. Save that anger for when we go out tomorrow and kick some Nazi ass," he said.

The two stared at each other, then at Jay, and then each other again. Both of them slowly drank while a feeling of awkwardness permeated the air.

After a couple of minutes of drinking in silence, Alan suddenly spoke up. "You know, I think Jim was on to something." The others all turned to him curiously. "We all have abilities beyond those of regular people. I mean, even if HYDRA's gone, someone else will rise up and take that role."

"So?" Ted asked.

"So, we should all form a group, like some sort of a deterrent against evil. Basically, "if you mess with anyone, you mess with us!" kind of deal."

"What, like some kinda super-hero team?" Jay asked.

"Precisely. I know some other guys back home who are fighting the good fight while we're here. After the war is over we could form a group with them. We could start fighting criminals on a global front! We could help people all over the world."

"Let me get this straight," Ted said to Alan. "You wanna start some sorta global peace-keepin' organization? Made up of a buncha men who fight crime in tights?"

Alan scratched the back of his head. "Well, when you put it like that…"

"Sounds crazy." Ted drank the rest of his ale and slammed his empty mug on the table. "I'm in."

All of them stared incredulously at Ted, who merely frowned. "What? I don't plan on teachin' forever. It'd be nice to get out and punch some criminals once in a while."

"Yeah, it would be great to fight some of my own enemies with backup. I'll join your group, Alan." Jay flashed a smile at the Green Lantern, who nodded.

Jim looked at Alan. "I'll join."

"Me too," Kent added, briefly stroking his helmet.

Steve looked at Alan. "Someone once asked me if I wanted to kill Nazis. I told him that I didn't want to kill anyone. I just don't like bullies." He paused, reflecting on all the hardships and trials that had led him to this moment. "Even after this war ends, like you and Jim said, evil will still exist. I don't think we can completely rid it from our world, but if we can save more people and stop more injustices this way, then I'm all for it. I'm in."

"I'll drink to that," Jay said, nodding.

Amaya looked down at her necklace. "Right now I want to focus on my family." she looked up, and gave a warm smile. "But if you need my help, I shall gladly lend a hand."

Alan nodded and smiled back. The others all turned to Namor, who sat arms crossed, his mug empty.

"Like I said before, I have no time for your little games of catching criminals," Namor said. "But if you need assistance that benefits Atlantis- and you will definitely will under Scott's leadership- then I will come to your aid. Under no means does that mean I plan on joining your little club."

"Fair enough," Alan said evenly.

"Well," Jay said, breaking up the tension, "All we need now is a name."

"A name?"

"Well obviously! What, were you planning on keeping our "Soldiers of Liberty" name?"

"Erm…" Alan opted to take a swig from his mug.

"We need something cool, but also catchy, something that rolls of the tongue. A name that will strike fear in the hearts of our enemies but inspire the common people." Jay gestured with his hands excitedly.

Steve had an idea. If they needed a name that conveyed their mission, but also inspired hope to the masses…

"How about 'Justice Society'?'' Steve suggested.

Everyone stared at him before Jay spoke up. "Steve, that's the greatest name for a team I've ever heard. I love it! We should use that name."

"That's a really great name, Steve," Alan said. "I propose a toast to this new team." he reached out to grab his mug before Jay interrupted him. "You're gonna make a toast with an empty cup?"

Alan opened his mouth to reply, but Jay smirked. "No sweat, man. I'll get refills for everyone." In less than a second, everyone's cups were refilled and Alan raised his up. "Let's do it properly, this time. To our futures, and to the Justice Society!"

"To the Justice Society!" everyone (except Namor, who merely had a small smile on his face) replied, clinking their cups together. They all drank, and the night continued with renewed laughter as Jay told another one of his stories.

* * *

"Wow," Superman said, taken aback by what Cap had told him. The way the Captain had spoken about these legendary war heroes… they obviously meant a lot to him. Clark couldn't imagine what it would be like to one day be fighting alongside Bruce, Diana and all the others, and then wake up one day to find them gone.

"Yeah," Steve replied. All that talk had made him well up slightly with emotion. "I wish we could've all stayed together. But," he turned to Superman, a smile on his face, "at least you guys were able to pick up that duty that we didn't get to fulfill."

Superman chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. "Thanks, Cap. Hearing it from you is like a dream come true."

The two continued to watch as the sky became darker and darker, before Steve turned to Clark. "So, what's next?"

Superman looked at Steve before turning back to the window. "We wait for whatever comes."

**To be continued...**

_**Now, the real story begins. I've got a lot of ideas that I want to incorporate into story arcs- pieces of Arkham Knight, Spider-Man PS4, some comic-book events like Throne of Atlantis, Forever Evil, Avengers vs X-Men, maybe even some Dark Multiverse shenanigans and Doomsday Clock.**_

_**Thanks for reading! Please review, and PM me if you have any questions.**_


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